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ARALDITE SMC BONDS SCANIA TRUCK GRILLS
31 January 2003 - Huntsman Araldite
| Araldite s SMC bonding range has once again proved its versatility and ability to cope with a wide range of extreme environmental conditions, in an application for Scania Trucks. |
Polynorm Plastics (UK) Ltd in Merseyside, who specialise in the production of
composite parts for the automotive industry, chose Araldite 4910 to bond a front
radiator grill and engine hood assembly on a range of Scania Trucks. The bonded joint had to be able to withstand 80¡C during the paint cycle and varied
weather conditions (-20¡C to +80¡C, up to 100% humidity) during the vehicle s
working life. It also had to be able to resist road vibration for the entire life of the
truck, typically 500,000 miles. Araldite 4910 was used to bond Menzolit 5320 Class A SMC substrates in a
secondary process, rather than riveting or welding. Bonding provided better vibration resistance than mechanical fasteners and also reduced stress concentrations. Each assembly involved four simple lap joints. Two joints bonded stiffeners running
the full length of the assembly on each side. Two smaller inserts were also then
bonded. The process was completed in ambient curing conditions. We chose to use Araldite 4910 over other adhesives because it gave us a number of processing, performance and health and safety advantages, by eliminating the need for a highly volatile primer explained Gordon McDonough, Industrial Engineer,
Polynorm Plastics. It was suitable for this application as the adhesive was available
in cartridges and required only simple pre-treatment of the SMC. There was also no heating of the jigs which allowed us to produce parts more cost
effectively and still have a short time to handling strength. The bonded joints also successfully withstood a range of tough destructive testing
conditions, including heat deterioration, water and humidity tests and thermal cycling, as well as meeting Scania s own Environmental Standards STD4158 and STD 4159. Polynorm Plastics (UK) Ltd continue to use Araldite 4910 for this application and are
currently bonding around 1000 parts per annum.
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