Bonding

Tabbing composite test specimens: The how

The when and why of tabbing composite test specimens were the subjects of my previous column (see “Tabbng composite test specimens: When and why," under "Editor's Picks," at right), which included a discussion of tabbing materials, tab thickness and taper angle, and adhesive selection.

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Adhesives

Old is new in vacuum bonding honeycomb sandwich

In Care and Repair of Advanced Composites (published by the Warrendale, Pa.-based Society of Automotive Engineers in 1997), Dr.

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Wind/Energy

Third-party tests support claims for crosslinking spray adhesive

Aerospace manufacturers that adopt vacuum infusion processes are discovering what processors of boat hulls and wind turbine blades already know: Placement of multiple plies of slippery dry fiber reinforcements in molds with vertical sides or tight radii is problematic.

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Epoxies

Third-party tests support claim for crosslinking spray adhesive

Tests support Westech's claim that its InfuZene spray adhesive crosslinks with vinyl ester, polyester or other styrenated thermoset resins during infusion.

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Adhesives

Block shear strength of adhesive bonds

Dr. Don Adams describes two methods (ASTM D 905 and ASTM D 4501) for loading adhesive bonds in direct shear while minimizing undesirable peel and through-thickness tensile stresses.

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Weaving

Critical fiber sizing

To achieve desirable properties in composite components, adhesion between fiber and matrix must be optimized. Adhesion requires sufficient saturation with resin (wetout) at the fiber/matrix interface. To ensure good adhesion, attention must be given to fiber surface preparation, such as the use of a surface finish or

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Infrastructure

Bonding Technology: Thermosetting Structural Adhesives

A wealth of epoxies, polyurethanes and acrylics speed assembly and cut manufacturing cost in an ever-wider range of composites applications.

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Testing Tech: Adhesion testing of sandwich panels

In my three preceding columns, I discussed the testing of sandwich panels as unit structures. This included flexural and shear testing of beams and panels. However, such tests — and hardware components that are designed accordingly — will not produce the desired results unless the adhesives that hold these panels

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Adhesives

BMWs Carbon Fiber Roof Attached With Polyurethane Adhesive

Automaker BMW stepped outside the box when it recently adhesive bonded carbon fiber/epoxy roofs to 1,500 limited-edition BMW M3 CSL sedans. The automaker wanted to enhance the car's performance by shedding as much weight as possible — other composite components include the doors, front skirt, trunk lid and rear bumper

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Sustainability

A guide to selection of methacrylate, urethane and epoxy adhesives

A practical examination of the complexities of adhesive selection.

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U.S. Polychemical Acrastrip
ELFOAM rigid foam products
Kent Pultrusion
Wabash
Toray Advanced Composites hi-temperature materials
CIJECT machines and monitoring systems
IRIS Ai-enabled Camera
Visual of lab with a yellow line
Release agents and process chemical specialties