Fabricated-in-place inserts to receive self-piercing rivets

A method of joining, at a joining region, a first joining surface of a first article to a first joining surface of a second article with a self-piercing rivet, the first article, at the joining region, having a fabricated-in-place insert of a ductile metal, the insert being suitably ductile to be penetrated and deformed by a self-piercing rivet so as to form a riveted joint, the second article having a second surface opposite its first surface for forming the riveted joint, and the fabricated-in-place insert having a first surface at the first joining surface of the first article and a second surface, opposing the first surface, for forming the riveted joint, the first and second surfaces of the insert being the first and second joining surfaces of the first article in the joining region;

• the self-piercing rivet having a hollow cylindrical body with a closed end, an open end, and an outside diameter, the closed end of the rivet being closed with a cap having a larger diameter than the diameter of the body;
• the method comprising:
• assembling the second article and the first article with the first surface of the joining surface region of the second article in surface-to-surface contact with the first surface of the first article;
• and
• driving the open end of a self-piercing rivet into the second surface of one of the articles, at the joining surface region, while supporting the second surface of the other article, so that the rivet is driven through one of the articles and into the other article such that the cap of the rivet is driven into engagement with the underlying second surface of one of the articles and the open end of the rivet is expanded diametrically in the other article to join the articles at the joining region.