Struct. Adhesive Toughness: Efficient Testing throughout the Development Process

One of the most important properties which industry now requires of structural adhesives is that they exhibit a high degree of toughness. This is particularly critical in automotive and aerospace applications but also in consumer electronics, packaging...

1. Save time and money by running appropriate tests (metal-to-metal, honeycomb, floating roller, neat resin, fracture, wedge...) for R&D, quality control or joint design
2. Clarify how to best determine fracture energies: double cantilever beam, notched flexure, mixed mode delaminating beam, end load split...
3. Understand how loss in thermoxydative and environmental resistance can help to guide your formulation optimization

Structural adhesive formulators, test house operatives and end-use mechanical engineers needing to clarify what tests they should be using at various development stages and why.

The following sections will be covered during this session:

1. Introduction



2. R&D laboratory assessment: Peel testing
   metal-to-metal and honeycomb



3. How toughness affects standard adhesive test methods



4. Neat resin testing



5. Fracture toughness methods:
   modes 1, 2 and mixed mode testing



6. The difference between the wedge test and the impact wedge test



7. How toughness affects standard adhesive test methods



8. Some indications as to how to use test results in engineering design