Structural Adhesive Bonding: The Most Innovative Joining Technique for Modern Lightweight Design, Safety and Modular Concepts -Progress Report- 2005-01-1747

Automobile manufacturers strive to meet numerous expectations in the assembly of cars imposed by customers and government regulations. These include vehicle weight reduction, crashworthiness, durability, driving performance and reduced NVH (Noise/Vibration/Harshness) levels. Some of the solutions to these requirements can have conflicting effects. For example, increasing vehicle mass to improve crashworthiness and NVH performance will increase fuel consumption. Modern lightweight design methods utilizing the full potential of new materials and joining techniques can enable the development of vehicles which simultaneously satisfy these conflicting performance requirements. Structural adhesive bonding is one of the key tools in this effort. To date, structural adhesives are mainly used in conjunction with other joining methods in what is referred to as “hybrid bonding”. New multi-material designs and modern vehicle assembly approaches are now possible thanks to the use of structural adhesives. Such adhesively bonded designs have led to various improvements, including resistance to dynamic fatigue, body stiffness, crash performance compared with other conventional joining methods, and improved corrosion resistance.

In this paper the practical experiences of Dow Automotive and our European customers that have implemented crash durable structural adhesives into vehicle design and assembly operations is presented. Also, the environment and health aspect is discussed. A definition for the class of such crash durable adhesives is presented. Structural adhesive bonding is a key approach to making cars better, safer and reducing their environmental impact.