Chapter

An Introduction to Adhesive and Sealants

1.1 Introduction

This chapter provides an understanding of adhesives and sealants asa means for assembling and adding value to finished products. Theimportance and prominence that adhesives and sealants have as com-mercial products are highlighted. The multiple functions played byadhesives and sealants are identified as are the critical proceduresrequired to achieve successful results. The advantages and disadvan-tages of using these materials are explained and compared to othermethods of joining.Basic definitions of common terms used in the adhesive and sealantindustries are provided in this chapter, and a glossary of terms ap-pears in Appendix A. The processes employed by the manufacturersof adhesives and sealants and by their end-users are described.Sources of information for further understanding and study are of-fered at the conclusion of this chapter and in Appendix B.Through this chapter, the reader will gain an appreciation of thecomplex processes related to adhesives and sealants and the multiplesciences that form their foundation. This chapter reveals why a multi-disciplined approach is necessary for the successful application of ad-hesives and sealants. Most of the topics presented are again visitedin detail in later chapters.

2 Chapter One

1.2 Fundamentals of Adhesives andSealants

1.2.1 Importance of adhesives andsealants

Adhesives and sealants surround us in nature and in our daily lives.Substantial businesses exist to develop, manufacture, and marketthese materials, and they are used within virtually every business andindustry. Applications abound from ofﬁce ‘‘post-it notes

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’’ to automo-tive safety glass to footwear to aerospace structures to ‘‘no-lick’’ post-age stamps. Many products that we take for granted could never existif it were not for adhesive bonding or sealing.If someone could determine the total value added to our economyby the relatively small amount of adhesives and sealants that areused, the result would be staggering. Yet, with adhesives and sealantsall around us, with applications extending back to at least biblicaltimes, and with many examples of outstanding adhesion in nature(e.g., barnacles and ice on roads), why are there so many failures whenwe try to ‘‘engineer’’ the use of adhesives or sealants in practice? Whydoes it seem as if we must resort to trial and error, if not a bit of luckor magic? Examples of catastrophic disasters such as the 1986 Chal-lenger space shuttle sealant problem and the 1988 Aloha Airlines 737fuselage peeling apart in ﬂight unfortunately also invade the historyof adhesives and sealants. Perhaps no other class of materials or tech-nology is so essential yet so ripe for potential misadventure.The adhesives and sealants industry is bolstered by thousands of years of trial and error. This long history can be coupled with signif-icant additions to the fundamental supporting sciences and with thedevelopment of advanced materials and processes. Consequently, so-ciety has generally progressed to a point where we actually trust notonly our fortunes but also our lives to these materials. The study of adhesives and sealants and the sciences surrounding their applicationhas never been more important.

1.2.2 Deﬁnitions

As any science that has progressed over the centuries, the science thatsupports adhesives and sealants has developed a jargon and languageof its own. Appendix A deﬁnes terms that are commonly used in theseindustries. Important, basic terms necessary to develop a fundamentalunderstanding of how and why adhesives and sealants provide valueare given in this section. Adhesives and sealants are often made of similar materials, andthey are sometimes used in similar applications. These materials have