Adhesive bonding for aerospace applications

Abstract

Aviation and adhesive bonding have always been intimately connected - from the mythical flight of Daedalus and his son Icarus through to the more practical demonstrations of the Wright brothers and the supersonic capabilities of modern aircraft. While Icarus overextended the temperature capability of the hot-melt wax used to bond his feathered wings, the early aviators of World War I were more conservative in applying animal glues as size to improve the weather proofing and aerodynamic efficiency of their fabric-covered airframes and in the use of other natural glues based on milk extract and blood albumen to bond wooden fuselage frameworks and plywood panels.