Gli adesivi strutturali funzionano davvero?
On one side, we have rivets, bolts, and welds—methods that clearly show how they work. These are mechanical fastening techniques that we understand very well and have used for a long time. There's no need for anyone to explain how to tighten a bolt or how this mechanism holds two metal pieces together. Moreover, we're used to seeing ships, buildings, and even bridges held together by massive bolts, and we take for granted that metals are joined through welding. Because of all these reasons, we naturally tend towards mechanical fastening solutions, which are known and "simple." Yet, despite this, we know that in many industrial sectors, for various needs, the same rivets, bolts, and welds have often been replaced by structural adhesives. These glues have become the default solution for bonding metals, plastics, and other materials due to their many advantages, such as greater lightness, instant bonding, no pre-drilling required, clean aesthetics, and more. These points could also be made about high-performance tapes, not just structural adhesives. And yet, the doubt remains: do structural adhesives really work? Are they strong enough to replace rivets, bolts, and welds in your company? Let’s find out. We’ve already touched on what structural adhesives are, so we’ll keep it short here. In short, they can simply be described as extremely strong glues. If we want to give a qualitative definition, we could say that a structural adhesive is a glue that creates a bond as strong as the materials it is joining. But when it comes to strength, performance, and safety, qualitative definitions may not be enough. That’s why, in the United States, adhesives are considered structural if they have a shear strength of over 7 megapascals, while in Europe, the standard is even higher—adhesives are classified as structural only if their shear strength exceeds 10 megapascals. The typical structural adhesive is liquid and thermosetting, but there are several variations. It's also worth noting that these products aren't new. In fact, they are well-established. For example, 3M introduced the first neoprene-based contact adhesive in 1942, and in the 1960s, it launched the first flexible structural epoxy adhesive, as well as the first liquid spray adhesive. So, structural adhesives are a proven and standardized technology. Let’s now see just how effective they really are. To understand how and to what extent structural adhesives work, nothing is more useful than comparing
The most important measure used to express the strength of a fastening method is the previously mentioned shear strength. Which solution—flow welding, spot welding, rivets, bolts, or structural adhesives—offers the highest resistance? Well, at the bottom of the list, with the worst results, are the well-known rivets. They are cheap, quick to apply, but they don’t excel in design flexibility or aesthetic appeal. Then come bolts, which, like rivets, can certainly provide high strength at the point of installation but cannot work across the rest of the non-covered surface. Slightly better is spot welding, but it still only works on specific points. The two methods that offer the highest shear strength are flow welding and structural adhesives, capable of performing up to three times better than the weaker rivets. Numbers aside, structural adhesives work, often better than traditional fastening methods. They can be used in many different situations: to bond metals, plastics, and composites, on both rigid and flexible surfaces, to withstand extremely high or low temperatures, and more. We invite you to discover the best structural adhesives available in our online store and find the one that best suits your industrial applications! Whether you're working in automotive, aerospace, construction, or any other industry, structural adhesives offer a reliable, efficient, and modern alternative to traditional fastening methods. Their ability to distribute stress evenly, reduce weight, and improve aesthetics makes them an excellent choice for today’s advanced manufacturing needs. Don’t miss out on the benefits of using cutting-edge adhesion technology in your business. Explore our range and make the smart choice for your next project. Wood Free Paper Label,Wood Free Glassine Label,Printable Sticker Paper,Woodfree Paper Acrylic Yellow Glassine SOONTOMAX (TAISHAN) LABEL MATERIAL CO.LTD , https://www.stmlabel.comA Quick Overview of Structural Adhesives
Do Structural Adhesives Really Work? Here Are the Test Results
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