Mechanical Behavior of Solid Film Adhesives With Scrim Carrier Cloths

Erol Sancaktar, The University of Akron

Abstract

Recent advances in composite and lightweight material technologies have led to the increased use of adhesives in aerospace, automotive, and naval industries. Adhesive bonding processes are being adapted in assembly-line manufacturing procedures. Even where riveting is possible, adhesives are sometimes used in conjunction with it as a secondary means of load support. Structural adhesives are often provided in the solid film form with scrim carrier cloths and latent hardeners (particularly for the aerospace industry) to facilitate the bonding procedure. The scrim cloth is usually ~0.01 cm thick and is used as a carrier for the adhesive as well as for bondline thickness control. The polymeric adhesive is applied onto this scrim cloth building its thickness up to 0.020–0.025 cm. A variety of materials such as polyester and glass can be used as carrier cloth. The adhesive material is either a thermosetting or thermoplastic polymer. The bonding procedure usually requires the use of chemical primers on adherend and carrier cloth surfaces to avoid interfacial failures.