ADHESIVES:

An adhesive is a material (liquid/semi liquid/solid form) that adheres/bonds at least two

surfaces together in a strong and stable manner.

Bonding in adhesives:
Mechanical
Chemical
Van der Wall forces (the attraction between two molecules, each of which has a region
of slight positive and negative charge)
Moisture aided diffusion (Diffusive bonding occurs when species from one surface
penetrate into an adjacent surface while still being bound to the phase of their surface
of origin)

Source of adhesives may be natural or synthetic sources

Natural – starch, animal glue, albumen, etc.
Synthetic - elastomers, thermoplastics, emulsions, etc.

Categorization of adhesives:

Non-reactive
1. Pressure sensitive adhesives – Pressure Sensitive Adhesive (PSA) adhesives that
form a bond with the substrate on application of light pressure. PSA can be of
water based, solvent based and hot melt. Ex. acrylate based polymers
2. Hot application adhesives - Hot Melt Adhesives also known as hot glue is
commonly supplied in solid cylindrical sticks of various diameters, designed to be
melted in an electric hot glue gun. Ex. thermoplastics
3. Drying adhesives – Solvent Based adhesives are divided into:
a. Wet Bonding and Contact adhesives. Wet bonding adhesives are
those where substrates are joined while adhesive is still wet and
then allowed to evaporate. Ex. solvent based polymers
b. Contact adhesives are in which both substrates are coated with
adhesive which is allowed to evaporate before the bond is made
and the bond is formed by bringing the two coated substrates
together. Ex. natural rubber, neoprene

Reactive
Basically the adhesives in this class are thermoplastic in nature which means they are
heated to a sufficient temperature where they will flow and wet the substrates and then
set and develop the bulk strength on cooling.
1. UV Light curing adhesives- UV cure adhesives contain photoinitiator molecules
which are activated and / or decompose when they absorb the energy emitted
by the ultraviolet light; producing free radicals which initiate and accelerate the
 curing process of the adhesive achieving solidify state in order of seconds. Ex.
UV Epoxy, UV Acrylic, UV Silicone, UV Cyanoacrylate, UV Anaerobic
2. Heat curing adhesives- When heat is applied the components react and cross-
link. Ex. thermoset epoxies, urethanes, and polyimides
3. Moisture curing/One Part adhesives- Moisture curing adhesives cure when they
react with moisture present on the substrate surface or in the air. This type of
adhesive includes cyanoacrylates and urethanes
4. Multi-part adhesives – Multi-component adhesives harden by mixing two or
more components which chemically react. This reaction causes polymers to
cross-link into acrylics, polymers, epoxies.

Where are Adhesives used in Construction?

To BOND ceiling, wall and floor tiles, timber and timber products, concrete, asphalt and
fabrics, metals etc

Characteristics of a good Adhesive:

1. They must behave as a liquid, at some time during bond formation, to flow over
and wet (make intimate contact with) the adherents
2. They form surface attachment through adhesion (the development of
intermolecular forces)
3. They must harden to carry sometimes continuous, sometimes variable load
throughout their lives
4. They transfer and distribute load among the components in an assembly.
5. They must fill gaps, cavities, and spaces
6. They must work with other components of the assembly to provide a durable
product
7. They should accommodate temperature differences

What are the advantages of using Adhesives?

Dissimilar materials can be joined
Bond is continuous
Large areas can be bonded in less time
Bonding is more accurate
Adhesives seal and join in one process
Increased production speed
Better finishing at no/low costs
Choice of fast or slow curing
Easily combined with other joining methods

Advantages of an adhesive bond:

1. Provides large stress-bearing area.
2. Provides excellent fatigue strength.
 3. Damps vibration and absorbs shock.
4. Minimizes or prevents galvanic corrosion between dissimilar metals.
5. Joins all shapes and thicknesses.
6. Provides smooth contours.
7. Seals joints.
8. Joins any combination of similar or dissimilar materials.
9. Often less expensive and faster than mechanical fastening.
10. Heat, if required, is too low to affect adhering materials.
11. Provides good strength-to-weight ratio.

Disadvantages of an adhesive bond:

1. Surfaces must be carefully cleaned.
2. Long cure times may be needed.
3. Limitation on upper continuous operating temperature (generally 350_F).
4. Heat and pressure may be required.
5. Jigs and fixtures may be needed.
6. Rigid process control usually necessary.
7. Inspection of finished joint difficult.
8. Useful life depends on environment.
9. Environmental, health, and safety considerations are necessary.
10. Special training sometimes required.

Sealants typically have lower strength and higher elongation than adhesives do.
Many Adhesive technologies can be formulated into sealants.