TABLE OF CONTENTS There are a large number of adhesives on the market. It is helpful to organize these adhesives in groups with common characteristics to facilitate their understanding and use. Adhesives can be classified in a number of ways, although no one classification is universally recognized. Classifications include source, function, chemical composition, physical form, and application.
Adhesives resemble paints in formulation in that they may contain a number of components in addition to the adhesive materials, which are also called the binders. Every component is not found in every adhesive. For example, all adhesives do not contain a solvent or a filler. The key components that may be found in commercial adhesives have been defined in this section.
This is the primary component and has the function of forming the bond, thus holding the substrates together. The binder is generally the component from which the name of the adhesive is derived. For example, an epoxy adhesive may have many components, but the main component is the binder, that is, the epoxy resin.
This is a substance added to an adhesive to promote the curing reaction by taking part through catalysis or cross-linking. Two-part adhesive systems generally have one part that is the base and a second part that is the hardener. Upon mixing, a chemical reaction takes place that causes the adhesive to solidify. A catalyst is sometimes incorporated in an adhesive...
