Development of riveting technology through an analysis of Belgian patents (1830-1940)

The development of riveting technology in iron and steel structures in the 19th and 20th centuries were highly promoted by patents. Although riveting was widely used in buildings and civil engineering structures, little information about the development of this technology – how rivets were manufactured, various installation techniques – is available in literature. This paper discusses a database of patents related to riveting technology that was created to better understand the innovations in riveted connections and their technological evolution. The database includes patents relating to rivets registered in Belgium between 1830 and 1940.
Belgian patents are a good proxy for inventiveness in riveting technology in this period, in industrialized countries generally, not only Belgium. As one of the most industrialized countries, Belgium attracted inventors from many countries seeking to register their inventions: foreign inventions represented approximately 75% of all patents. Breakthroughs by important Belgian, French, British, and American inventors/companies are represented in this source.
A methodology based on both quantitative and qualitative analyses was implemented. The quantitative analysis dealt with the entire database and explored several key parameters, for example, the subject of the patent and the patenting organization/person. The database also permitted qualitative analyses; specifically, it helped enlarge our understanding of pioneering inventors and their inventions, in the important categories of rivet manufacturing (1855-1870) and installation techniques (1895-1910). As background for the conservation and renovation of historic iron and steel structures, it is vital to have an understanding of the know-how that was available over time. This kind of information is revealed in the patent record