David Findlay wrote:

snip

Is there a reason why aircraft would be riveted rather than welded
together, particularly on the airframe, not the skin? I would have
imagined that welding would produce a stronger join, although it may be
harder or impossible to disassemble if needed. Thanks,

One key point is QC.

With the rivets a Al batch of a known alloy is turned into a bazillion
rivets by a machine. A small number of these rivets are tested to confirm
the batch of rivets is up to spec.

Using well understood and documented techniques a joint is designed for the
required stresses with x rows of rivets at y spacing etc. The joint is then
riveted.

QC on the joint itself merely requires visual examination, no fancy ND
techniques etc.

Routine inspection in service likewise is done by visual inspection.

--

regards

jc

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