Read about engineering and structural adhesives

Adhesives are increasingly being used to replace traditional fastening methods such as welding, bolts and rivets, in industrial applications.

Adhesives are increasingly being used to replace traditional fastening methods such as welding, bolts and rivets, in industrial applications.

In cars and other transport applications, weight reduction is a key factor in new developments, hence the use of lightweight adhesives is rapidly expanding.

The latest Rapra Review Report, "Engineering and structural adhesives", discusses the types of adhesives in use, properties, advantages and disadvantages, and applications.

It is very clearly written, well referenced and provides an excellent overview of a rapidly developing field.

Engineering and structural adhesives are distinguished from other adhesives by being high strength materials that are designed to support loads.

They are often subjected to severe environmental conditions, for example in external construction applications or pipe joints.

There is a wide choice of adhesive types.

Differences include curing characteristics, one- or two-component systems, varying physical and mechanical properties, and resistance to chemicals and moisture.

Health and safety issues are also a consideration with adhesive selection (as with all chemicals), but the move away from halogenated solvent based systems is improving this situation.

Health and safety issues are discussed in this review and listings of standards for adhesives are provided, including ISO, European and ASTM standards.

This review covers the main types of structural adhesives.

The most important adhesives for structural and engineering applications are: anaerobics, epoxies, reactive acrylics, polyurethanes, reactive hot melt polyurethanes and cyanoacrylates.

There are also speciality adhesives available for extreme temperature conditions, such as bismaleimides and polybenzimidazoles.

Adhesives are used to bond many different material types including ceramics, metals, glass, plastics and composites.

Advances in adhesives used to bond various materials are reviewed in this report.

The key advantages of adhesives include the distribution of loads across the entire joint area, excellent fatigue properties, the attenuation of mechanical vibrations and sound, sealant functions, a reduction in galvanic corrosion between dissimilar metals, and a faster more cost-effective assembly method.

"Engineering and structural adhesives" will be of interest to both suppliers and users of adhesives.

The review is accompanied by around 400 abstracts from papers and books in the Rapra Polymer Library database, to facilitate further reading on this subject.

A subject index and a company index are included.

Dr Dave Dunn, an expert with many years of experience in adhesive research and development, wrote this report.

He is President of FLD Enterprises, a US-based technical consulting firm, specialising in adhesives and sealants.

He has training as a chemist and a background in both industrial and academic circles.

Dunn is a former Vice President and Director of R and D and New Business Development for Loctite Corp, a speciality adhesive and sealant company.

Dr Dunn has written numerous publications and also produces a monthly question and answer column for Adhesives and Sealants Industry magazine.

"Engineering and structural adhesives" retails at GBP 85 (plus postage and packaging) and is available from Rapra Technology.

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