Adhesive Bonding Systems for Construction and Building Materials



Martin Brandtner-Hafner*

FRACTURE ANALYTICS, Austria, info@fractureanalytics.com, +43 660 84 444 13

*Corresponding Author: Martin Brandtner-Hafner, FRACTURE ANALYTICS, Austria, info@fractureanalytics.com, +43 660 8444413

Received: January 12, 2022     Published: February 18, 2022

 

Abstract

Adhesives are increasingly being used in the construction and building sector. On the one hand, this concerns dowel reinforcements using chemical anchors. On the other hand, the sealing and repair of cracks in structural components in the construction and building sector are still on the rise. In the field of bonding, the interface is the most critical part of a bonded joint, because it is in this zone that cracks first appear, which in the worst case can spread uncontrollably and lead to total failure of the entire structure. Therefore, it is of immense importance to characterize and investigate this section sophisticated. Since standardized mechanical test methods are not sufficiently capable of doing this, recourse is made to an innovative concept based on fracture analysis. A series of experimental tests were performed to study the adhesive bonding efficiency of different polymeric adhesive systems used for construction and building materials. Novel safety metrics were created and applied to establish a performance rating of the peer group under investigation. Results unveil that bonding efficiency is highly dependent on the chemical basis of the adhesive system applied and thus significantly affects the failure mode to be expected in case of cracking. Furthermore, it was found that only tough polymeric adhesive systems are suitable for bonding construction and building materials effectively and safely for mastering structural bonding challenges well. This can be justified by the fact that such adhesive systems can delay cracks and thus stop them in the best case. On the contrary, due to their strong cohesion, brittle adhesives are not capable to stop cracks from propagating effectively. Furthermore, due to their high cohesive strength, they tend to distract cracks to the substrate if weaker leading to uncontrolled failure of the whole structure. This finding, therefore, leads to the conclusion that brittle, high-strength adhesive systems are not suitable for structural bonding of several building materials such as stone, bricks, marble, concrete, or wood. Only those adhesives are suitable for building materials that can absorb enough fracture energy to prevent a propagating crack for uncontrolled running with the danger of a catastrophic spillover to the substrate structure outside the interface.

Keywords: Construction and building materials, adhesive bonding systems, structural safety evaluation, adhesive bonding efficiency, peer bonding performance, safety factor, safety premium, adhesive safety ratings.

Citation: Brandtner-Hafner MB. “Adhesive Bonding Systems for Construction and Building Materials”. SVOA Materials Science &Technology, (2022) 4:1 Pages: 01-09.