Users Guide to Adhesives

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Contents
Part 1 Assessment of bonding
Advantages of adhesive bonding
Limitations
Modern adhesives: types and main characteristics
Designing a bonded joint
Determination of dimension of simple lap joint
Essentials for the bonding process
Combination joints

Part 2 Essential stages of the pre-treatment process

Surface preparation
Degreasing
Abrading
Pretreatments for particular materials
Special pre-treatments for maximum bond performance
Essentials for chemical pre-treatments
Metals

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Users Guide to Adhesives

Introduction
Almost everything that is made by industry has component pieces and these have to be fixed together. Often mechanical connections
are chosen, such as screws, rivets or spot welds. However, engineers now often choose to use adhesive bonding. This joining technique
is well proven and capable of replacing or supplementing mechanical fixing methods and has advantages which include:
Reduced component and/or assembly costs
Improved product performance and durability
Greater design freedom
Less finishing operations
This guide sets out to remove the reservations that engineers sometimes have about adhesives. It includes a survey of modern
adhesives and shows how joints should be designed and pre-treated in order to make best use of adhesive bonding.
The guide comes from the inventors of adhesives capable of bonding metals. Our Araldite Adhesive trade name is known world wide in
industry and in the home.

A word about adhesives

What are we doing when we seek to use an adhesive? The question is not new. Man has used adhesives or glues since the dawn of
history. The ancient Egyptians attached veneers to furniture with glue. These early glues were all natural substances. Nowadays we use
synthetic resins and polymers.
When we bond components together, the adhesive first thoroughly wets the surface and fills the gap between. Then, it solidifies. When
solidification is completed, the bond can withstand the stresses of use. The strongest adhesives solidify through chemical reaction and
have a pronounced affinity for the joint surfaces. Adhesive bonding is sometimes called chemical joining to contrast it with mechanical
joining.

Designing to bond
In order to get the best performance from an adhesive bond, it is important to design the component for bonding rather than simply
taking a design made for mechanical fixing.
Methods of application, of the adhesive and the assembly of the components, must always be considered at the design stage. Together,
with the practical curing conditions, these determine the choice of adhesive type to be used.
A quality bond is produced when quality is considered at all stages of the design and production process.

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Part 1 Assessment of bonding

Advantages of adhesive bonding
The bond is continuous: On loading, there is more

Complex assemblies: Complex assemblies often that cannot

uniform distribution of stresses over the bonded area. The

be joined together in any other feasible way with adhesives.

local concentrations of stresses present in spot welded or

Composite sandwich structures are a typical example.

mechanically fastened joints are avoided. Bonded stuctures can

Dissimilar materials: Adhesives can join different materials

consequently offer a longer life under load.

together materials that may differ in composition, moduli,

Stiffer structures: The bonded joint being continuous

coefficients of expansion, or thickness.

produces a stiffer structure. Alternatively, if increased stiffness is

Reduced corrosion: The continuous adhesive bond forms

not needed, the weight of the structure can be decreased while

a seal. The joint is consequently leak proof and less prone to

maintaining the required stiffness.

corrosion.

Improved appearance: Adhesive bonding gives a smooth

Electrically insulating: The adhesive bond can provide an

appearance to designs. There are no protruding fasteners such

electrically insulating barrier between the surfaces.

as screws or rivets, and no spot-welds marks.

Fig.1 Stiffening effect bonding and riveting compared

Fig. 2 Stress distribution in loaded joints

The diagram shows how a joint may be designed to take advantage of

the stiffening effect of bonding.

The riveted joint on the left is highly stressed in the vicinity of the rivets.

Adhesives form a continuous bond between the joint surfaces. Rivets and
spot welds pin the surfaces together only at localised points. Bonded
structures are consequently much stiffer and loading may be increased
(by up to 30 100%) before buckling occurs.

Failure tends to initiate in these areas of peak stress. A similar distribution

of stress occurs with spot welds and bolts.
The bonded joint on the right is uniformly stressed. A continuous welded
joint is likewise uniformly stressed but the metal in the heated zone will
have undergone a change in strength.

Reduced stress concentrations: The bonded structure is

Vibration damping: Adhesive bonds have good damping properties.

a safer structure because, owing to the fewer and less severe

The capacity may be useful for reducing sound or vibration.

concentrations of stresses, fatigue cracks are less likely to

Simplicity: Adhesive bonding can simplify assembly procedures

occur. A fatigue crack in a bonded structure will propagate more

by replacing several mechanical fasteners with a single bond, or by

slowly than in a riveted structure or even in a machined profile

allowing several components to be joined in one operation.

because the bond-lines act as a crack stopper.

Adhesive bonding may be used in combination with spot welding or

Jointing sensitive materials: Adhesive bonding does not need

riveting techniques in order to improve the performance of the complete

high temperatures. It is suitable means for joining together heat-

structure. All these advantages may be translated into economic

sensitive materials prone to distortion or to a change in properties

advantages: improved design, easier assembly, lighter weight (inertia

from the heat of brazing or welding.

overcome at low energy expenditure), longer life in service.

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Limitations
Temperature resistance: Adhesives are drawn from the class
of materials which we know as polymers, plastics or synthetic
resins. They have the limitations of that class. They are not
as strong as metals. (The difference is offset by the increased
surface contact area provided by the bonded joints). With
increasing temperature the bond strength decreases and the
strain properties of the adhesive move from elastic to plastic. This
transition is usually in the temperature range
70 220C: the transition temperature depends on the particular
adhesive.
Chemical resistance: The resistance of bonded joints to the
in-service environment is dependent on the properties of the
polymer from which the adhesive is made. Possible exposure of
the bonded structure to oxidizing agents, solvents, etc., must be
kept in mind when selecting the adhesive type to use.
Curing time: With most adhesives maximum bond strength is
not produced instantly as it is with mechanical fastening or with
welding. The assembled joint must be supported for at least
part of the time during which the strength of the bond is building
up. The quality of the bond may be adversely affected if, in the
bonding process, the surfaces are not readily wetted by the
adhesive.
Process controls: Ensuring consistently good results may
necessitate the setting up of unfamiliar process controls. A badly
made joint is often impossible to correct.
In service repair: Bonded assemblies are usually not easily
dismantled for in-service repair.

Usually they solidify in seconds and are suited to small plastic

parts and to rubber. Cyanoacrylate adhesives have relatively little
gap-filling capability but can be obtained in liquid and thixotropic
(non-flowing) versions.
Toughened Acrylics/Methacrylates: A modified type of
acrylic, these adhesives are fast-curing and offer high strength
and toughness. Supplied as two parts (resin and catalyst), they
are usually mixed prior to application, but specialized types are
available which are applied by separate application: resin to one
bond surface, catalyst to the other. They tolerate minimal surface
preparation and bond well to a wide range of materials. The
products are available in a wide range of cure speeds and as
liquids or pastes which will gap-fill up to 5mm.
UV curable adhesives: Specially modified acrylic and epoxy
adhesives, which can be cured very rapidly by exposure to
UV radiation. Acrylic UV adhesives cure extremely rapidly on
exposure to UV, but require one substrate to be UV transparent.
The UV initiated epoxy adhesives can be irradiated before closing
the bondline, and cure in a few hours at ambient temperature or
may be cured at elevated temperature.
Epoxies: Epoxy adhesives consist of an epoxy resin plus a
hardener. They allow great versatility in formulation since there are
many resins and many different hardeners. They form extremely
strong durable bonds with most materials. Epoxy adhesives are
available in one-part or two-part form and can be supplied as
flowable liquids, as highly thixotropic products with gap-filling
capability of up to 25mm, or as films.
Polyurethanes: Polyurethane adhesives are commonly one part
moisture curing or two-part. They provide strong resilient joints,
which are resistant to impacts. They are useful for bonding GRP

Modern adhesives: types and main

characteristics

(glassfibre-reinforced plastics) and certain thermoplastic materials

Modern adhesives are classified either by the way they are used

Modified Phenolics: The first adhesives for metals, modified

or by their chemical type. The strongest adhesives solidify by a

and can be made with a range of curing speeds and supplied as

liquids or with gap-filling capability of up to 25mm.
phenolics now have a long history of successful use for making

chemical reaction. Less strong types harden by some physical

high strength metal-to-metal and metal-to-wood joints, and

change. Key types in todays industrial scene are as follows.

for bonding metal to brake-lining materials. Modified phenolic

Anaerobics: Anaerobic adhesives harden when in contact with

adhesives require heat pressure for the curing process.

metal and air is excluded, e.g. when a screw is tight in a thread.

The above types set by chemical reactions. Types that are

Often known as locking compounds or sealants, they are

used to secure, seal and retain turned, threaded, or similarly
close-fitting parts. They are based on synthetic resins known as
acrylics. Due to the curing process, anaerobic adhesives do not
have gap-filling capability but have advantage of relatively rapid
curing.

less strong, but important industrially, are as follows:

Hot Melts: Related to one of the oldest forms of adhesive, sealing
wax, todays industrial hot melts are based on modern polymers.
Hot melts are used for the fast assembly of structures designed
to be only lightly loaded.

Cyanoacrylates: A special type of acrylic, cyanoacrylate

adhesives cure through reaction with moisture held on the
surfaces to be bonded. They need close-fitting joints.

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Plastisols: Plastisol adhesives are modified PVC dispersions

or mechanical joining. When designing bonded joints the

which require heat to harden. The resultant joints are often

considerations include:

resilient and tough.

Joint geometry

Rubber adhesives: Based on solutions of latexes, rubber

Adhesive selection

adhesives solidify through loss of solvent or water. They are not

Mechanical properties of adhesive and adherent

suitable for sustained loading.

Stress in the joint

Polyvinyl Acetates (PVAs): Vinyl acetate is the principal

Manufacturing conditions

constituent of the PVA emulsion adhesives. They are suited to the

Bonded joints may be subjected to tensile, compressive, shear or

bonding of porous materials, such as paper or wood, and general

peel stresses, often in combination. (See Figure 3). Adhesives are

packaging work.

strongest in shear, compression and tension. They perform less

Pressure-sensitive adhesives: Suited to use on tapes and

effectively under peel and cleavage loading. A bonded joint needs

labels, pressure-sensitive adhesives do not solidify but are often

to be designed so that the loading stresses will be directed along

able to withstand adverse environments. They are not suitable for

the lines of the adhesives greatest strengths.

sustained loading.

To indicate the performance of an Araldite, Epibond, Epocast or

No one company supplies all these types of adhesives.

Uralane adhesive, the Huntsman Advanced Materials Instruction

Each supplier specialises in particular types.

Huntsman Advanced Materials supplies many industries
with epoxy, polyurethane, modified phenolic, toughened
methacrylate and UV curable acrylic adhesives under the
tradenames Araldite, Epibond, Epocast and Uralane.

Sheet for the particular adhesive quotes, the shear strengths and
peel strengths obtained by standard test methods. For example,
the standard test method for shear (ISO4587) uses a simple lap
joint made from metal sheet, usually an aluminum alloy, 25mm
wide with 12.5mm overlap. The mean breaking stress at room
temperature will be in the range 5 to 45 N/mm2 depending on the
adhesive. At the top end of this breaking stress range, joints made

Designing a bonded joint

from aluminum alloy sheet of up to 1.5mm thickness will yield or

It is important that bonded articles are designed with bonding

in mind, rather than simply bonding a design made for welding

Tension

Tension
stress
component

Compression

Compression

Shear

Shear

break in the metal. (The lap joint is only one of sveral different types
of bonded joint).

Cleavage

Peel

Cleavage

Peel

stress

stress

stress

stress

component

component

component

component

Fig.1 Loading conditions

A bonded joint can be loaded in five basic ways (shown in the diagram). Cleavage and peel loading are the most taxing: they concentrate the applied
force into a single line of high stress. In practice a bonded structure has to sustain a combination of forces. For maximum strength, cleavage and peel
stresses should be as far as possible designed out of the joints.

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The breaking load of a lap joint is proportional to its width, but

The strength of a joint is a complex function of the stress

not to its overlap length. Although the breaking load will increase

concentrations set up by the load. In a simple lap joint made

as overlap length is increased, the mean breaking stress will be

from thin metal sheet there are two sorts of stress: shear and

reduced.

peel. Both the shear and peel stresses vary along the length

A method of determining the best dimensions for a simple

of the joint, with concentrations at the ends. Alternative joint

lap joint is described in Simple Lap Joints: Determination of

dimensions (page 10).

designs are shown in Figure 4 where these stresses are more

evenly distributed. The efficiency gained results in joints of greater
strength.

Simple lap joint

good

A peel joint can be designed such that the forces acting upon it become
compression forces, making a much stronger joint.
Tapered lap joint

Scarf joint

very good

excellent

Stepped lap joint

very good

Double strap joint/double lap joint

very good

Weak cleavage joints can be strengthened through design, in this

instance by adding a U-section to the previously bent sheet.

By adding reinforcing plates to this butt joint, the forces run along a much
stronger shear joint.

Tapered double strap joint

excellent

Fig.4 Basic bonded joints between strip/sheet metals

The basic types of bonded joints are shown diagramatically. In practical
structures two or more basic types may be used in combination and
the relative dimensions (and areas of bonded surface) of the joints may
vary from those shown in the diagrams.

A similar effect is produced by sleeving this cylindrical butt joint.

Tapering of the ends of lap joints or scarf joints serves to distribute the
stress more uniformly and reduce stress concentration.

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(a)

Fig.5 Practical bonded joints between sheet materials

(c)
(b)

Certain metals, especially mild steel, are easily bent or folded to form
advantageous joints. (a) Shows a development from the simple lap joint,
(b) a toggled joint and (c) shows further developments.
Closed box structures (d) from formed sheet metal are easily produced
using this folding and bonding technique to join the edges.

(d)

Fig.6 Bonding of multi-layer structures

(a)

Multi-layer structures may be built up by adhesive bonding and may also

be bonded to other parts. In (a) a multi-layer fiber-reinforced plastics
laminate is joined to its neighbor by a multi-stepped lap joint. In (b) an
edge member is bonded into a sandwich panel. On loading, the stresses
will be transferred into the panel. The honeycomb core is itself assembled
and bonded to the facing sheets with adhesives.

(b)

Fig.7 Joints using profiles

Sheets or plates that cannot be bent and folded may be bonded together
by means of purpose-made profiles. Tapering removes the high stress
concentrations caused by abrupt change in section.

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Fig.8 Stiffening of large thin sheets

Large sheets of thin-gauge material (metal or plastics) may be stabilized
by bonding stiffeners made of the same material in similar gauge. The
diagram shows a top hat stiffener.
Towards the edge of the sheet, the stiffener may be cut away (as shown)
in order to reduce stress concentrations. The effect is similar to that of the
scarf joint in Fig.4.

Fig.9 Bonded frameworks

Framework structures of square or round tubes, or simple profiles,
may utilize plugs (a), angles (b), or bosses (c) at the joints. Use of these
additional pieces greatly increases the area of bond surface at the joint.

(a)

(c)
(b)

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The durability of a bonded joint

The bonded joints may need to resist sustained loads, which are

The durability (the long-term performance) of a bonded joint

depends on the properties both of the adhesive and of the

either static or vibrational. Joint designs in which peel stresses

are at a minimum give the best durability. The fatigue testing (by
standard methods) of simple lap shear joints made with epoxy

materials being joined.

adhesives will often give failure values of ca 30% of the short-

The adhesive will be affected by high temperatures, by powerful

term measured breaking load. (See Figure 11.)

solvents or by water. The durability of the joint will also depend on

the effects of these agents on the materials being joined. Above
all, it will depend on the condition of the joint surfaces when the

This necessitates control of pretreatment of the surfaces. A

poor surface condition usually results in a relatively low initial
strength and a reduced durability. A thick bond-line gives lower
initial strength. (See Figure 10.) With most types of adhesive,
the application of heat to complete the curing process improves
both initial strength and durability. The user will have to judge the

50

40

30

20

2
1

% OF STATIC FAILURE STRESS

are absolutely clean and have good affinity for the adhesive.

MAXIMUM STRESS LEVEL (MPa)

bond was made. The best joints are made when the surfaces

10

level of control of these factors necessary to produce a bonded

joint satisfactory for the expected service conditions. For many

105

applications a good and sufficient durability is obtained with easily

106

107

CYCLES TO FAILURE

attained levels of surface control (or pretreatment), bond-line

thickness and curing schedule.
Fig.11 Fatigue strength (tensile) of lap joints
Fatigue strength of simple lap joints made with a cold-cured epoxy
adhesive and tested to DIN 53 285. In this test program, the failure stress
of control joints under static loading was 13 Mpa. The diagram shows
that under fatigue loading the joints required to sustain 106 test cycles
should not be stressed higher than 4.1 Mpa per cycle.

FAILURE STRESS (MPa)

40

30

20

10

Determination of dimensions of
simple lap joints
0.4

0.8

1.2

BOND-LINE THICKNESS (mm)

The shear strength of simple lap joint (Fig 12) depends on the
nature of the metal, the adhesive, the thickness of the metal and
the area of overlap.

Fig.10 Bond-line thickness vs. shear strength

Shear strength decreases if the layer of adhesive is thick. The effect of
increasing bons-line thickness in simple lap joints made with hot-cured
epoxy adhesives is shown in the diagram.
Adhesive strength at the interface is by its nature greater than the
cohesive strength within the adhesive. The diagram shows that in
this adhesive the drop in strength occurs in the range 0.4 to 1.0 mm.
In thicknesses greater than 1.0 mm shear strength is approximately
constant. The exact shape of the curve depends on the characteristics
of the adhesive. Toughened adhesives will maintain higher values in
thicker bondlines while more rigid adhesives will reduce more quickly.
The optimum bond-line thickness is in the range 0.1 to 0.3mm. In very
thin bond lines there is risk of incomplete filling of the joint due to contact
between high points on the joint surfaces.

l
t

Fig.12 Simple lap shear joint

l = overlap; t = metal thickness

10

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MEAN FAILURE STRESS N/mm2

60

These establish:

50

= mean tensile stress in the metal =

and by definition:

40

= mean shear stress in the joint =

30

Substituting for P gives: = .

20

P
t

P
l

t
l

10

Unit width
0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1.0

Fig.13 C
 orrelation diagram between shear strength
and t/l of simple lap joints
The diagram relates the dimensions of the joint, the shear stress in the
adhesive and the tensile stress in the metal*

Fig.14 Conventional designs for stresses in a lap joint

*The curve shown in Fig.13 was established from a test program carried
out on simple lap joints of BS 1470-HS30 aluminum alloy bonded with
hot-cured Araldite epoxy adhesive.

Optimum overlap (l) is determined as follows:

1. Calculate s from P and t.
Given the loading required and the metal and adhesive to be

2. Starting form 0, mark on the diagram the straight

used, it is possible to predict:

line whose slope /

1. Optimum overlap on metals of given thickness.

2. Optimum metal thickness for given overlap.

This overlap and thickness may be rapidly determined from a

diagram based on results from one test program.

t
l

3. Where the straight line cuts the curve, read off the
value for
4. Having determined and , and knowing t,
substitute these values in:

The test to determine mean shear strengths of joints of various

= .

overlaps (l) and metal thickness (t) must be sufficient to plot

a curve of shear strength against t/l. A curve established in this
way is shown in Fig.13.

) is given by .

t
l

and calculate optimum overlap l.

Any particular point on an established curve represents (for lap

joints made with metal and adhesive to the same specifications

Deviation from the optimum overlap reduces the efficiency of

as used in the test program) the state of stress in a particular joint

the joint. Too small an overlap causes the joint to fail below the

and shows the relationship between the dimensions of the joint

required loading, whereas too large an overlap may mean an

(horizontal axis), the mean shear stress in the adhesive (vertical

unnecessarily large joint.

axis) and the mean tensile stress in the metal (slope of a straight

Optimum sheet thickness (t) is determined as follows:

line from the origin to the point).

1. Calculate from P and l.

Optimum overlap (l) is determined by using the diagram together

with the formula:
= .

t
l

This formula is derived from

2. Where the value of t cuts the curve, read off the

t
value for
l
t
3. Having determined
and knowing l,
l
calculate optimum thickness t.

The known design requirements:

P = load per unit width of joint
t = sheet thickness (t= thickness of thinner sheet
in joints made of sheets of different thickness)

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Essentials for the bonding process

To make a successful bond, the adhesive must wet the material
to be joined, fill the gap between the surfaces, and then fully
harden.
With a two-part adhesive this means that resin and hardener
must be correctly proportioned and thoroughly mixed together.
The right amount of mixed adhesive needs to be placed and
spread onto the bond area. Both these steps are aided by

Heated presses: Steam or oil-heated platens can be used in

flat bed presses with a rapid and controllable temperature rise.
This method is ideal for production of large flat panels, e.g. for
insulated container sides.
Induction curing: Magnetic field causes current to flow in a
conductive substrate. The resistance to the current generates
heat and cures the adhesive. This technique has been used
where very fast heat up and cure is required.

using automatic equipment. The simplest equipment dispenses

adhesive from pre-filled cartridges (see Figure 15). Typical
volumetric proportioning equipment, which meters, mixes and
dispenses two-part epoxy adhesives is shown in Figure 16.
Where highly viscous or thixotropic components are used, the
metering units may be fed by special drum pumps. Similarly for
one-part epoxy adhesives there are hand or air operated guns or
applicators. Suitable equipment is advantageous in setting up a
Quality Assurance Scheme for a bonding process.
Continuous production bonding also necessitates ensuring that
the condition of the surfaces to be bonded is always the same.

Fig.15 Handgun operated by compressed air

Unknown contaminants must be removed from the surfaces. A

particular surface treatment may be needed in order to increase
the affinity for the adhesive.
Surface preparation can be a multi-step process. Preparation
usually includes mechanical abrasion and to achieve optimum
results chemical etching.
In some cases known surface coverings, such as protective
oils, may be absorbed by the adhesive in the bonding process
this ability is a characteristic of specially formulated oil-tolerant
Araldite epoxy adhesives. In these cases the known covering
material defines the surface condition.
The hardening or curing of reactive adhesives requires time.
The time is shortened if heat can be applied. Furthermore,

Fig.16 Metering and mixing machine for two-part epoxy

adhesives

though with many two-part epoxy adhesives strong joints can

be obtained by curing at room temperature (for 2 to 24 hours),
higher curing temperatures even a few degrees above room
temperature will raise the bond strength. With certain one-part
epoxy adhesives, curing temperatures may need to be as high as
180c in order to obtain the best properties. Elevated temperature
curing may be carried out using:

Combination joints
Adhesives can be used in combination with other joining
methods, in particular, riveting or spot welding. Rivets or welds at
intervals along the bond-line not only act as locating and holding
points during the time the adhesive cures but also increases the
peel resistance of the joint.

Hot air ovens: This is a practical method only when a large

From the other viewpoint, that of the mechanical fastening, the

number of assemblies are in the oven at the same time or for

presence of the adhesive improves the stiffness of the joint,

continuous production lines. Heat transfer is relatively slow and

distributes the stresses uniformly and it forms a seal. Adhesive

affected by the assembly type and thickness. Infa-red ovens can

bonding also increases the speed and reduces overall the noise

also be used.

of the joining process.

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Part 2 E
 ssential stages
of the pretreatment process
Araldite adhesives adhere firmly to most materials. Bonds of
great strength are obtained after removal of grease and loose
surface deposits, e.g. rust, from the surfaces to be joined, but
when maximum strength and long-term durability are required,
a more thorough mechanical or a chemical pretreatment is
recommended.

* Halocarbon solvents At the time of publication, legislation regarding

halogenated solvents was changing. Users should contact the solvent
suppliers for advice and must ensure compliance with local and national
regulations governing their use.

or
(c) Brush or wipe the joint surfaces with a clean brush or cloth
soaked in clean proprietary commercial degreasing solvent. A
wide range of proprietary solvent degreasing agents with low

Surface preparation
Surfaces are prepared by one of the following pretreatment
procedures (listed in order of increasing effectiveness):

hazard ratings are now available.

or
(d) Detergent degreasing. Scrub the joint surface in a solution of
liquid detergent. Wash with clean hot water and allow to dry

1. Degrease only.
2. Degrease, abrade and remove loose particles.
3. Degrease and chemically pretreat.

thoroughly preferably in a stream of hot air.

or
(e) Alkaline degreasing is an alternative method to the detergent

Care must be taken, to avoid contaminating the surface, during

degreasing. It is recommended to use proprietary products

or after pretreatment. Contamination may be caused by finger

and follow manufacturers instructions for use.

marking or by cloths, which are not perfectly clean or by

oil-contaminated abrasives or by sub-standard degreasing or
chemical solutions. Contamination may also be caused by other

or
(f) Ultrasonic degreasing may be employed when appropriate
and is generally used for the preparation of small specimens.

work processes taking place in the bonding area. Particularly to

be excluded are oil vapors from machinery, spraying operation
(paint, mould release-agent, etc.) and processes involving
powdered materials.
Whatever the pretreatment procedure used, it is good practice
to bond the surfaces as soon as possible after completion of the
pretreatment i.e. when surface properties are at their best.
If the scheduling of bonding operations on multi-part assemblies
causes delay between pretreatment and bonding, optimum
surface properties may be preserved by priming the bond
surfaces immediately after pretreatment.

Abrading
Lightly abraded surfaces give a better key to adhesives than do
highly polished surfaces. Abrasion treatment, if carried out, must
be followed by a further treatment to ensure complete removal of
loose particles. For example:
(a) Repeat the degreasing operation (degreasing liquids must be
clean),
or
(b) Lightly brush with a clean soft brush, or preferably

Degreasing
Remove all traces of oil and grease as follows:

(c) Blow with a clean dry (filtered) compressed air-blast. Abrasion

can be carried out with abrasive paper, wire brushing or most
effectively by grit-blasting.

(a) Suspend in halocarbon solvent* vapor in a vapor

degreasing unit.

Pretreatments for particular materials

or

Most materials likely to require bonding in industrial practice are

(b) Immerse successively in two tanks each containing the same

dealt with individually in detail in Publication No.15 Guide to

liquid halocarbon solvent* acts as a wash, the second as a

Surface Preparation and Pretreatment. The information in this

rinse.

publication is intended only as an overview.

13

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Special pretreatments for maximum

bond performance
The surface preparation described above, i.e. degreasing alone or
degreasing followed by abrasion and removal of loose particles,

For the final rinse, the use of deionised (demineralised) water is

recommended.
Surfaces should be bonded as soon as possible after
pretreatment. Stability of the pretreated surfaces is limited.

is sufficient for most adhesive work, but to obtain maximum

strength, reproducibility and long-term resistance to deterioration,
a chemical or electrolytic pretreatment may be required.
Metal adherent surfaces are rarely of pure metal, but are
a combination of oxides, sulphides, chlorides and other
atmospheric contaminants resulting in a surface which is
mechanically weak. Acid etching is a well-established method
of removing metallic scale, in favor of forming an oxide layer,
which is mechanically and chemically compatible with the
adhesive. Hence, different acid treatments are applied to different
metal adherends, for example, chromic acid for aluminum,
sulphuric acid for stainless steel, and nitric acid for copper. Acid
pretreatment can also be applied to certain plastics, e.g. chromic

Metals
The wide range of individual alloy (and the variety of surface
structures caused by different heat treatments) within each metal
group precludes standardizing on one pretreatment for each. The
pretreatments listed in Publication No.A15 are well established
but on occasions a different pretreatment may prove more
effective. This can be shown only by comparative trials using
material from the batch of metal components to be bonded and
the type of adhesive specified for the work. Additional data on
pretreatment of metals is given in ISO 4588 and DEF standard
03-2/2.

acid is used to surface treat polyolefins. (Details are given in

Publication No.A15.)

Thermosetting plastics

Anodising has been exploited extensively by the aerospace

Moldings, castings, laminates, etc. can usually be bonded without

industry as a surface pretreatment for aluminum and titanium

difficulty. To ensure good bond strength, all soil and residual

alloys. The purpose of anodising is to deposit a porous oxide

layer on top of the oxide layer formed after etching. The porous
oxide layer enables adhesive (or primer) to penetrate the pores
readily to form a strong bond. Hard anodizing is not an effective
bonding pretreatment.
Application of a primer is another form of surface pretreatment

release agents must be removed from the joint surfaces before

the adhesive is applied. The surface must either be abraded
with emery cloth or grit-blasted, or they must be cleaned with a
solvent such as acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, etc. Abrading or
grit-blasting is recommended for moldings since their surfaces
may otherwise repel the adhesive.

mainly used for materials such as metals and ceramics. Generally,

the primer is the final stage of a multistage pretreatment process.
Some adherends have difficult to bond surfaces (e.g. copper).

Thermoplastics

The primer, which is formulated such that it represents a

These are often difficult to bond. Certain types permit only

solvented version of the adhesive, readily wets the adherend. The

moderately successful bonding and some materials may show

adhesive, when applied to the primed surface, being chemically

considerable variation in properties, which determine the strength

compatible, will establish a strong joint on curing.

of a bond. Special adhesives have been developed, but they

usually prove to be unserviceable when thermoplastics have

Essentials for chemical pretreatments

to be bonded to materials such as wood, metal, etc. Araldite

adhesives can be very useful in such cases even though their

Care must be taken in the preparation of chemical pretreatment

suitability for bonding thermoplastics is only limited. Pretreated

solutions, not only because of the handling hazards, but also

thermoplastics for special applications (e.g. ski skins) are easily

because incorrect preparation may lead to bond strengths inferior

bonded with Araldite adhesives.

to those that would have been obtained if there had been no

The grade of plastic and the manufacturing process used to

chemical pretreatment.

make the component may influence the effectiveness of the

Time of application is also critical: too short an application does

pretreatment. It is advisable to establish by trial whether the

not sufficiently activate the surfaces, whereas overlong application

pretreatment is improved by adjusting the specified time.

may build up chemical reaction products, which interfere with

In addition to the normal mechanical and chemical methods

adhesion.

of pretreatment, certain plastics can be pretreated using the

On completion of chemical pretreatment, thorough washing of

following methods, all of which cause a change in the surface

the surfaces with plenty of clean water is standard practice.

texture of the adherend. The change is brought about by the

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interaction of highly energized species with the adherend surface.

These pretreatment methods have been applied to metals and in
particular composites and plastics.
A low pressure plasma is an excited gas generated by applying
a high frequency and high voltage between electrodes in a low
pressure chamber. The advantage of this method is that it allows
treatment of adherends by different plasmas of argon, ammonia,
oxygen or nitrogen making the process suitable for a range
of substrate types. Plasmas are generally used to activate the

Caution
Acids, caustic soda etc.
Concentrated acids, oxidizing agents (e.g. chromium trioxide,
dichromates) and caustic soda are highly corrosive chemicals.
Spillages and splashes can cause severe damage to eyes and
skin, and attack ordinary clothing where these chemicals are
used.
The manufacturers handling precautions must be observed.

surfaces of adherends.
If instead a plasma is created in air at atmospheric pressure,

Araldite, Epocast, Epibond and Uralane resins and

the air when isolated appears as a blue/purple glow with faint

hardeners

sparking, and is termed a corona. Corona treatments are usually

applied for preparing thin polymer films and composite laminates.

To protect against any potential health risks presented by our

products, the use of proper personal protective equipment (PPE)

The effect of a flame treatment is to oxidize the adherend,

is recommended. Eye and skin protection is normally advised.

which produces polar groups creating a surface better suited to

Respiratory protection may be needed if mechanical ventilation is

wetting by the adhesive. This method of surface pretreatment

not available or sufficient to remove vapors that may be inhaled.

has been applied successfully to polyethylene/polypropylene. The

For detailed PPE recommendations and exposure control options

variables of flame treatment include type of gas, gas/air (oxygen)

consult the product MSDS or a Huntsman EHS representative.

ratio, the rate of flow of mixture, exposure time and distance

between flame and adherend.
All these methods have limited stability due to adsorption of
airborne contaminants and vary from hours to weeks according
to substrate. Further information can be found in ISO 13895.
Araldite adhesives are simple to use, but to ensure successful
bonding the directions given in the instructions supplied with the
adhesive must be strictly observed.
In particular:
1. Joint surfaces must be degreased and when necessary,
pretreated.
2. Resin and hardener must be correctly proportioned and
thoroughly mixed together.
3. Adhesive must be applied in the correct controlled thickness.
4. Jigs or other fixtures must be used to prevent the bond
surfaces from moving relative to one another during the curing
process.
5. Though only light pressure is needed, it should be applied
as evenly as possible over the whole bond area. Excessive
pressure leaves the joint starved of adhesive.
6. Curing temperatures and curing time must be correct (in
accordance with the suppliers recommendations).

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EUROPE / AFRICA
Huntsman Advanced Materials
(Switzerland) GmbH
Klybeckstrasse 200 P.O. Box
4002 Basel Switzerland
Tel +41 61 966 41 20
Fax +41 61 966 35 19

INDIA / MIDDLE EAST

Araldite, Epibond, Epocast and Uralane are registered trademarks of Huntsman

Corporation or an affiliate thereof in one or more, but not all, countries.
Sales of the product described herein (Product) are subject to the general terms
and conditions of sale of either Huntsman Advanced Materials LLC, or its appropriate
affiliate including without limitation Huntsman Advanced Materials (Europe) BVBA,
Huntsman Advanced Materials Americas Inc., or Huntsman Advanced Materials (Hong
Kong) Ltd. (Huntsman). The following supercedes Buyers documents.
While the information and recommendations included in this publication are, to the
best of Huntsmans knowledge, accurate as of the date of publication, NOTHING
CONTAINED HEREIN IS TO BE CONSTRUED AS A REPRESENTATION OR
WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED
TO ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE, NONINFRINGEMENT OF ANY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS, OR
WARRANTIES AS TO QUALITY OR CORRESPONDENCE WITH PRIOR DESCRIPTION
OR SAMPLE, AND THE BUYER ASSUMES ALL RISK AND LIABILITY WHATSOEVER
RESULTING FROM THE USE OF SUCH PRODUCT, WHETHER USED SINGLY OR IN
COMBINATION WITH OTHER SUBSTANCES. No statements or recommendations
made herein are to be construed as a representation about the suitability of any
Product for the particular application of Buyer or user or as an inducement to infringe
any patent or other intellectual property right. Data and results are based on controlled
conditions and/or lab work. Buyer is responsible to determine the applicability of
such information and recommendations and the suitability of any Product for its own
particular purpose, and to ensure that its intended use of the Product does not infringe
any intellectual property rights.
The Product may be or become hazardous. Buyer should (i) obtain Material Safety Data
Sheets and Technical Data Sheets from Huntsman containing detailed information on
Product hazards and toxicity, together with proper shipping, handling and storage
procedures for the Product, (ii) take all steps necessary to adequately inform, warn
and familiarize its employees, agents, direct and indirect customers and contractors
who may handle or be exposed to the Product of all hazards pertaining to and
proper procedures for safe handling, use, storage, transportation and disposal of and
exposure to the Product and (iii) comply with and ensure that its employees, agents,
direct and indirect customers and contractors who may handle or be exposed to the
Product comply with all safety information contained in the applicable Material Safety
Data Sheets, Technical Data Sheets or other instructions provided by Huntsman and
all applicable laws, regulations and standards relating to the handling, use, storage,
distribution and disposal of and exposure to the Product.

Huntsman Advanced Materials

(India) Pvt. Ltd
5th Floor, Bldg. No. 10
Solitaire Corporate Park
167, Guru Hargovindji Marg, Chakal
Andheri (East)
Mumbai - 400 093 India
Tel +91 22 4095 1556 - 60
Fax +91 22 4095 1300/1400/1500

ASIA / PACIFIC
Huntsman Advanced Materials
(Hong Kong) Ltd
Suites 3 - 12, Level 41
Langham Place
8 Argyle Street Kowloon Hong Kong
Tel +852 2148 8800
Fax +852 2424 1741

AMERICAS
Huntsman Advanced Materials
Americas Inc.
10003 Woodloch Forest Drive
The Woodlands Texas 77380 USA
Tel +1 888 564 9318
Fax +1 281 719 4047

More detailed information about these

products can be found on our website:
www.huntsman.com/adhesives

For any other information,

please send an e-mail to:
[email protected]

Please note that products may differ from country to country. If you have any queries,
kindly contact your local Huntsman representative.
2007 Huntsman Corporation. All rights reserved.

www.huntsman.com/adhesives

Ref. Nr. CCA User Guide Adhesives 04.07_En

DISTRIBUTED BY FREEMAN MFG &SUPPLY CO.

800-321-8511
www.freemansupply.com

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