Lightweighting of structures and combining of materials to take advantage of their best properties is becoming a part of engineering design, and adhesives will play an increasing role in those future designs and applications.
Lightweighting of structures is most often associated with automotive structures. However, lightweighting is a challenge across the transportation sector, including trucks, trailers, buses, passenger rail cars, and even heavy earth-moving equipment and cranes.
When manufacturers are looking to use adhesives in an assembly operation, three steps must enter into the decision process: suitability, compatibility, and capability.
When anticipating using adhesives in structural bonding, a common need is developing the testing protocol to demonstrate bonded system effectiveness. While pressure-sensitive tapes are used in structural joining, this discussion will focus on liquid, paste, and film adhesives in structural joints.