Cyanoacrylate joint design

This guide provides a full explanation of the cure mechanisms and discusses the performance benefits for four types of engineering adhesives (cyanoacrylates, epoxies, two-part acrylics and UV curing adhesives). There are also chapters on joint design, dispensing systems, the surface preparation for difficult plastics and information on several Other adhesive technologies. 

Designs deliberately incorporating flexible rubbery inserts between two stiff adherends are well known. For example, cyanoacrylate adhesives are successfully used to bond spectacle lenses to frames through an intermediate rubber layer. Without the rubber to dissipate peel and cleavage loads, the joint between the lens and the metal frame would be readily over-stressed, resulting in premature failure. 

Rigid adhesives (e.g., standard ethyl cyanoacrylates) are used for bonding assemblies when the joints can be designed to be subjected only to shear and normal static forces. If the application is subjected to peel stresses or impact loads, a toughened adhesive (e.g., epoxy, two-part acrylic or toughened cyanoacrylate) would be more suitable. 

Adhesives recommended include epoxies, vinyl alcohol—vinyl acetate copolymer, polyvinyl alkyl ether, polyacrylate (carboxylic), polyurethane (two-part), epoxy-phenolics, silicones, and cyanoacrylates. The high-strength thermoset and alloy adhesives are rarely justified for bonding lead. Even when other properties recommend these adhesives, the designer should check to see whether some low-cost or easier-to-use adhesive is also suitable. An exception is teme (lead-coated steel). This is a much stronger metal than lead, and lap-shear strengths exceeding 2.1 MPa are reported for adhesive joints with teme.° ... 

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