Adhesive Bonding

Introduction
Adhesives was first observed around 4000 BC. Archeologists found out that adhesive (resin) was used to fixed the cracked pots. Around 1500 BC adhesive bonding was used to combine wooden parts. However, around 1700s adhesives were started to be widely used.

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Introduction
The use of polymeric adhesives to join components for structural, semistructural, and nonstructural applications has expanded greatly in recent years as a result of the unique advantages adhesives may offer for certain assembly processes and the development of new adhesives with improved robustness and environmental acceptability. The increasing complexity of modern assembled structures and the diverse types of materials used have led to many joining applications that would not be possible with more conventional joining techniques. Adhesives are also being used either in conjunction with or to replace mechanical fasteners and welds. Reduced weight, sealing capabilities, and reduced part count and assembly time, as well as improved fatigue and corrosion resistance, all combine to provide the designer with opportunities for customized assembly.

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Introduction
Adhesive bonding connects two different parts by mean of an adhesive (in general polymer based) and the joint is a permanent joint. Adhesive forms a very thin layer in between the parts and most of the time as a result of chemical reaction it hardens. The strength of the joint depends not only on the strength of the bonds in between the adhesive molecules (cohesion) but also the strength of the bonding between the adhesive molecules and the part (adhesion)
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Advantages
Easy and inexpensive to implement There is no need to have holes etc. for bonding (no stress concentration) No heat involved (no thermal stresses) Can be implemented to almost any material Can be implemented to thin and thick materials The stresses are essentially the same throughout the cross-section. Good for sealing Gaps can be filled easily (no risk for galvanic corrosion) Surfaces in between the parts is filled with the adhesive. Thus, there is no need for tight tolerances. Good for insulation and damping Have a good strength/weight ratio

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Stress distribution in welding, riveted joints and adhesive bonding

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Disadvantages
Strength of the joint decreases with increasing operating temperature (80-120C). With the advance in adhesives, the operating temperature limit is increased to 450C The cleaning of the surface has a particular importance Strength of the joint is not good under tension and bending In some cases adhesive bonding takes too long Some properties of the joint is time dependent since the adhesive material is a viscoelastic material (aging, creep) For important applications, the stress analysis of the joint may not be straightforward. Not suitable for nondestructive testing Environmental conditions also affect the life of the joint. Not suitable with some solvents.
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Applications
Support for metal sheets (in constructions) Pipe joints Shaft-hub connections Brake discs and clutches Wooden and plastic components In cases where the other joining methods cannot be used

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Applications
Metal-metal adhesive bonding Aluminum honeycomb structure Composite

Applications in an aircraft
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Applications

Joining the boat components made of composite material

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Applications
Diagram of an automobile body showing at least 15 locations at which adhesives and sealants could be used or are being used.

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Types of Adhesive
There are numerous adhesive types for various applications. They may be classified in a variety of ways depending on their chemistry (e.g., epoxies, polyurethanes, polyimides), their form (e.g., paste, liquid, film, pellets, tape), their type (e.g., hot melt, reactive hot melt, thermosetting, pressure sensitive, contact), or their load-carrying capability (structural, semistructural, or nonstructural). Structural adhesives are relatively strong adhesives that are normally used well below their glass transition temperature; common examples include epoxies and certain acrylics. Such adhesives can carry significant stresses, and they lend themselves to structural applications. Pressure-sensitive adhesives are very low modulus elastomers that deform easily under small pressures, permitting them to wet surfaces. When the substrate and adhesive are brought into intimate contact, van der Waals forces are sufficient to maintain the contact and provide relatively durable bonds.
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Mechanical Performance of Various Types of Adhesives

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Method of Adhesive Bonding

1. Cleaning: The surfaces which are to be adhesive bonded should be cleaned. Mechanical cleaning in general is not enough. To dissolve oil, acetone, benzine, benzol, triclor etilen, perklor etilen, carbon tetra cloride can be used 2. Surface roughning: Sandpapering, sand blasting etc. 3. Washing the surfaces: First with cold water, then water with acid and then water again 4. Drying the surfaces : With hot air in a clean environment. 5. Applying pressure for bonding: With appropriate instruments

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Applying pressure

Incorrect

Correct

Lever principle

Spring principle

Heat-resistive plastic film

Parts to be bonded Vacuum method Autoclave method

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Adhesive Bonding
Adhesive
Bad wetting Good wetting

Parts not bonded; bubbles, entrapped air

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Failure in Adhesive Bonding

Parts to be bonded Adhesive Parts to be bonded

Parts to be bonded Adhesive Parts to be bonded

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Design Considerations

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Design Considerations

Design considerations for the seperations of bonded parts

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Design Considerations

Adhesive bonding on edges a) False b) Correct

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Design Considerations
Good Bad Good Bad

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Design Considerations
Good Bad Good Bad

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Improvements in adhesive bonding

Improvements in adhesive bonding

Stress Distributions
Good design practice normally requires that adhesive joints be constructed in such a manner that the adhesive carries the load in shear rather than tension. Bonds are typically much stronger when loaded in shear rather than in tension across the bond plate. Lap-shear joints represent an important family of joints, both for test specimens to evaluate adhesive properties and for actual incorporation into practical designs.

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Common types of lap joints used in mechanical design

(a) single lap; (b) double lap; (c) scarf; (d) bevel;

(e) step; (f ) butt strap; (g) double butt strap; (h) tubular lap.

Strength of Adhesive Bonded Joints

V-shaped Stepped

Type of joints versus joint strength

Strength of adhesive bonding

Double butt strap (bevel) Double butt strap Peeling Bending of the member due to eccentricity

Lap

Adhesive thickness Machine Design I

Stresses within a single-lap joint

(a) Lap-joint tensile forces have a line of action that is not initially parallel to the adherend sides. (b) As the load increases the adherends and bond bend. (c) In the locality of the end of an adherend peel and shear stresses appear, and the peel stresses often induce joint failure. (d) The seminal Goland and Reissner stress predictions

Sandwich Designs

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Calculations Shear
Area

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Calculations Shear (Pipe joints)

Area

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Shear strength of some adhesive bonded joints

Adhesives Hardens with heat (epoxy/fenol resins) Epoxy resins which hardens at room temperature Polymerization adhesives which hardens at room temperature Reactive polyurethane hot melt adhesives Thermoplastic hot melt adhesives Shear strength [N/mm2] 25-35 20-30 10-20 5-10 10-15

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Joint Design
Design to place bondline in shear, not peel. Beware of peel stresses focused at bond terminations. When necessary, reduce peel stresses through tapering the adherend ends, increasing bond area where peel stresses occur, or utilizing rivets at bond terminations where peel stresses can initiate failures. Where possible, use adhesives with adequate ductility. The ability of an adhesive to yield reduces the stress concentrations associated with the ends of joints and increases the toughness to resist debond propagation. Recognize environmental limitations of adhesives and surface preparation methods. Exposure to water, solvents, and other diluents can significantly degrade adhesive performance in some situations, through displacing the adhesive from the surface or degrading the polymer. Certain adhesives may be susceptible to environmental stress cracking in the presence of certain solvents. Exposure to ultraviolet light can also degrade adhesives.

Joint Design
Design in a way that permits or facilitates inspections of bonds where possible. A missing rivet or bolt is often easy to detect, but debonds or unsatisfactory adhesive bonds are not readily apparent. Allow for sufficient bond area so that the joint can tolerate some debonding before going critical. This increases the likelihood that debonds can be detected. Having some regions of the overall bond at relatively low stress levels can significantly improve durability and reliability. Where possible, bond to multiple surfaces to offer support to loads in any direction. Bonding an attachment to a single surface can place peel stresses on the bond, whereas bonding to several adjacent planes tends to permit arbitrary loads to be carried predominantly in shear. Adhesives can be used in conjunction with spot welding. The process is known as weld bonding. The spot welds serve to fixture the bond until it is cured.