Brass recommended adhesives

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, and bronze is an alloy of copper and tin. Sandblasting or other mechanical means of surface preparation may be used for both of these copper alloys. Surface treatment combining mechanical and chemical treatment with a solution of zinc oxide, sulfuric acid, and nitric acid is recommended for maximum adhesion properties. Adhesives similar to those recommended for copper may be used on brass and bronze substrates. 

An example of a 100% solid, non-flammable, heat-activated hot-melt adhesive recommended for structural bonding of aluminum, steel, copper, brass, titanium, fabric, and some plastics is 3M Company s Scotch -Weld Thermoplastic Adhesive Film 4060. Strength data are shown in Table 5.5. " Bonding using this clear, amber, unsupported film adhesive takes place rapidly. The speed of bonding is hmited only by the heat-up time required to reach the optimum bonding temperature of 149°C at a pressure sufficient to maintain contact between the surfaces to be bonded. The adhesive... 

SR-9016 is a metallic diacrylate adhesion promoter for UV/EB cure applications. SR-9016 is water soluble up to 20 wt%. This product promotes adhesion to metals, including steel, tin-free steel, brass, and aluminum. Usage levels up to 5% are recommended... 

CD-9050 is a multifunctional acid ester that promotes adhesion to metals, including aluminum, brass, steel, and tin-free steel. CD-9050 is an excellent choice for low shrinkage. Due to its high acid value, this product is not recommended for use in formulations containing tertiary amines. Usage levels of 3% to 12% are recommended. 

Various etchants have been recommended for the remaining metals of engineering practice, but it is doubtful if sufficient work has been reported to differentiate between them or to assess their effect on the durability of the bonds formed with different adhesives. Strong, durable bonds are uncertain with copper because of the ease with which a weak, friable oxide is formed. Even when coated with an adhesive, oxygen can diffuse to the interface and eventually cause failure. Brass has an oxide film almost entirely of zinc oxide and, as with zinc galvanized iron, it can hydrate or form salts with the tackifiers added to some contact adhesives. Cadmium is met with as a plating if a strong, durable adhesive bond is essential, it should be replaced by chromium, the surface of which can be treated as stainless steel. 

Zinc is used in multiple applications. It is widely employed for galvanizing steel and iron against rust. It is also used for die casting and forming alloys including brass and bronze. This lustrous blue-white metal is hard/brittle at ambient temperatures. It is malleable at 100—150°C, conducts electricity and heat, is anticorrosive, and has a relatively low melting point (419.5°C). Zinc is the fourth most common metal today. Adhesives recommended include nitrile-epoxies, epoxies, silicones, cyanoacrylates, and rubber-based adhesives [21]. 

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