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‡ 10.1 Adhesives
‡ 10.2 Sealants
Glued Segmental Bridge Construction
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‡ 10.1 Adhesives
‡ 10.2 Sealants
 10.1 Adhesives
‡ Safety
‡ Types of Adhesive
‡ Surface Preparation
‡ Setting Processes
‡ Types of Joint
‡ Modes of Failure
 Safety of Adhesives
‡ Many adhesives and sealants are toxic (e.g.
containing isocyanates) and are readily absorbed
through the skin.
‡ Many also give off toxic solvent vapours during
setting.
‡ COSHH regulations require that for all materials
used on sites the safety sheet is obtained. Always
consult this sheet before using these materials.
‡ Note that some materials which are relatively
harmless in domestic applications/quantities (e.g.
epoxies) represent a considerable hazard in large
quantities.
 10.1 Adhesives
‡ Safety
‡ Types of Adhesive
‡ Surface Preparation
‡ Setting Processes
‡ Types of Joint
‡ Modes of Failure
 TYPES OF ADHESIVE
‡ Mechanical adhesives. All of the original animal glues
were of this type. They only work on porous materials -
the adhesive penetrates into the pores and on hardening it
forms a mechanical key.
‡ Solvent adhesives. These are used on materials which
dissolve in solvents (e.g. plastics). The surfaces to be
joined are softened in the solvent which subsequently
evaporates to leave a continuous joint.
‡ Surface adhesives. These will adhere to surfaces which
are neither porous nor soluble (e.g. glass). Modern
adhesives such as epoxies are of this type. They work by
bonding in the same way as the bonds within a material
 10.1 Adhesives
‡ Safety
‡ Types of Adhesive
‡ Surface Preparation
‡ Setting Processes
‡ Types of Joint
‡ Modes of Failure
 Surface Preparation
‡ In order to adhere to a surface the adhesive must
wet it (i.e. not form into droplets).
‡ Scoring of surfaces (a method often used on timber
by joiners) is detrimental to a joint made with
modern surface adhesives because it causes stress
concentrations and air inclusions. It is only
beneficial if traditional mechanical adhesives are
used.
‡ Water will prevent the bond of many adhesives but
some will work well underwater (e.g. some
polyurethanes).
‡ Many treatments (e.g. impregnated wood
preservatives) will prevent some adhesives from
working and reduce the performance of others
 10.1 Adhesives
‡ Safety
‡ Types of Adhesive
‡ Surface Preparation
‡ Setting Processes
‡ Types of Joint
‡ Modes of Failure
The different setting processes (1)
‡      (e.g. bitumens).
These materials are heated for use and will fail if
re-heated.
‡       .
These are clearly not durable in a wet environment
and will not set in contact with impermeable
surfaces which prevent the evaporation.
‡       .
These are more durable than the water based glues
but may also not set if evaporation is prevented.
The different setting processes (2)
‡       (e.g.
polymerisation of epoxies and polyesters).
‡      !"  
("Superglue").
‡       . Some
polyurethane adhesives are stored in contact with
a desiccant and set by reaction with moisture in
the air.
Some adhesives set by a combination of two or
more of these processes.
The adhesives are categorized for
use as follows
‡ WBP Weather and boil proof (as in exterior
grade plywood)
‡ BR Boil resistant - not as durable as
WBP
‡ MR Moisture resistant
‡ Int Interior - resistant to short exposure to cold
water only
Durability of Adhesives
 10.1 Adhesives
‡ Safety
‡ Types of Adhesive
‡ Surface Preparation
‡ Setting Processes
‡ Types of Joint
‡ Modes of Failure
Contact Joint Types of
joint
Contact Joint

Gap Filling Joint

Fillet
 Contact Joints
‡ For the contact joint most adhesives are suitable.
The clamping force must be sufficient to ensure
contact but not so high that the adhesive is forced
out.
‡ The adhesive should not have a higher modulus
than the substrates because this will cause stress
concentrations at the ends of the joint which may
cause progressive failure.
‡ Joining materials with different moduli is difficult.
 Gap Filling Joints and Fillets
‡ For gap filling applications many adhesives are
unsuitable. They either have insufficient viscosity to
remain in place during setting or (more frequently)
have very high shrinkage during setting.
‡ A pure epoxy resin will not fill gaps so it is normally
mixed with an inert filler (e.g. colloidal silica) to
give it gap filling properties. This will, however,
reduce it's strength for contact applications.
‡ For fillet formation even greater viscosity and
stability is required. Inclusion of fibres may be
beneficial.
 10.1 Adhesives
‡ Safety
‡ Types of Adhesive
‡ Surface Preparation
‡ Setting Processes
‡ Types of Joint
‡ Modes of Failure
 Reasons for failure
‡ Inadequate joint preparation
‡ Failure of the substrate due to local stress
concentration
‡ Bond failure due to moisture ingress or exposure to
ultraviolet light.
‡ Progressive failure due to eccentric loading.
‡ Failure of the adhesive due to inadequate mixing or
incorrect or prolonged storage.
It is always better to use a mechanical fixing as
well as the adhesive for critical applications.
 Shear stress along the length of
an adhesive joint in tension

Shear
Stress

Solve the problem by tapering the ends.

 Reasons for failure
‡ Inadequate joint preparation
‡ Failure of the substrate due to local stress
concentration
‡ Bond failure due to moisture ingress or exposure to
ultraviolet light.
‡ Progressive failure due to eccentric loading.
‡ Failure of the adhesive due to inadequate mixing or
incorrect or prolonged storage.
It is always better to use a mechanical fixing as
well as the adhesive for critical applications.
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‡ 10.1 Adhesives
‡ 10.2 Sealants
 10.2 Sealants
‡ Types of Sealant
‡ Joint Details
  
‡ Putties: These are the traditional materials
for sealing to glass. They harden by surface
oxidation and subsequent slow loss of
solvent (typically linseed oil).
‡ Mastics: These generally do not harden.
They are sufficiently viscous to prevent
sagging but offer little mechanical strength.
They are often poured into joints.
 Elastomeric Sealants:
‡ These set to a tough but elastic condition by a
number of different processes.
‡ Two pack types must be mixed on site but one
pack systems are more convenient because they
are supplied in cartridges ready for use.
‡ Polyurethane sealants have very strong adhesive
properties as well as sealing.
‡ Silicones and polysulphides are the more
common, and cheaper, materials.
 10.2 Sealants

‡ Types of Sealant
‡ Joint Details
Deformation of Elastomeric
sealants
 Joint Details

Incorrect Correct
Detailed joint systems