Adhesion Basics: Introduction to the Science of Adhesion

Adhesion Science

The principal requirement of an adhesive bond is to connect two materials while withstanding the stresses they will be subjected to in their use. Using adhesives is not as intuitive as it may seem: adhesion science is a multidisciplinary field requiring a knowledge of chemistry and physics, mechanics and rheology, design and engineering.

Adhesion Science, or the study of adhesion, consists of three equally essential parts which combine to form the basis of adhesive selection and adhesive engineering.

Surface Science

The chemical composition of a surface dictates whether an adhesive will make adequate contact, allowing for a bond. Unique factors like cleanliness and surface texture affect adhesive performance. Surface science examines these and other characteristics that impact the surface of a substrate.
Adhesive Chemistry

The unique adhesive chemistry of an individual adhesive will, in part, determine it’s suitability for a given bonding application. Not only will chemistry play a role in an adhesive’s ability to bond to the surface, but different chemistries will respond differently to stresses – loads, temperatures or environments.
Joint Geometry

Joint Geometry, or the shape of a bond, will impact performance of an adhesive bond, as will the direction and intensity of the stresses. Not only do adhesives respond to stress differently than mechanical or thermal fasteners, but different substrates and adhesive chemistries respond differently as well.

An adhesive is a substance used to bond two materials together. Some common formats include one- and two-part reactive adhesives, hot melt and reactive hot melt adhesives, and solvent- and water-based adhesives.

A tape is a film or paper coated on one or both sides, used to attach or bond materials. Some formats used for durable assembly include adhesive transfer tapes, double coated tapes and foam tapes, and reclosable fasteners.

Learn more about adhesive formats

Adhesive bonding is a method by which two materials are joined into an assembly. Adhesive bonding may take the place of or be used in addition to traditional thermal or mechanical attachment methods such as welds, bolts, screws or rivets.

The principal requirement of an adhesive bond is to connect two materials while withstanding the stresses those materials will be subjected to in their use. Adhesive bonding is a sophisticated process in which several factors interact to contribute to success

Adhesion scientists investigate the strength of an adhesive bond to determine its ability to withstand the stresses of the application.

To understand the strength of an adhesive bond it helps to understand the work of adhesion on a bond. The most common way to measure this is to pull an adhesive bond apart. The force needed to pull the bond apart allows engineers to understand how the adhesive will perform in an application.

Learn more about adhesive bond strength

The Science of Adhesion Educational Series

The Science of Adhesion Educational Series is designed to be a comprehensive introduction to Adhesion Science and the use of tapes and adhesives in design applications. Visit the Science of Adhesion to view all articles or choose from the selected topics below.