[Mike Schreiber]

Originally Posted by Joseph Smith

If I understand correctly, this allows you to bolt thin sheet metal together without tapping?

Yes. Just press them in with an arbor press (gently) and make sure your material is stiff enough that when you clamp you don't locally deform the metal.

Originally Posted by Bennett548

Adam is right.

Fasteners work best when they generate clamping forces high enough that the friction between the two parts being fastened is enough to keep the joint from moving. The bolt or rivet is never in danger of shearing or loosening because there is no movement in the joint.

That is why you should either put an aluminum spacer inside the tube, or figure out how to fasten the gusset plate to the tube wall itself. This is normally achieved with blind rivets. Rivnuts or small self tapping screws will also work.

This is correct for bolts - the bolt loads the material it is clamping and the friction between these materials reacts shear loads. In FRC most chassis loads related to gussets or corners will be shear loads.

From my understanding of things, rivets are actually meant to be loaded mainly in shear, not tension.