3.1.7 Aerospace Industry

At the beginning of the aerospace industry development, when aeroplanes were made mainly of wood and fabric, adhesives were used to join the components. When metals, primarily aluminium, became the default structural material used, mechanical fasteners were commonly used to assemble aircraft. Mechanical fasteners will always have a place in manufacturing assemblies, but adhesives offer many advantages. For example, much lighter bonded components are produced when opting to use adhesives over fasteners.

The aerospace industry’s interest in the weight-saving properties of adhesives was renewed when it faced demand for lower fuel consumption, improved performance and more cost-effective production. The use of adhesives makes it possible to use high-strength, lightweight alloys whose properties are negatively affected when welded or riveted.

Adhesives also make it easier to use newly developed, high-tech substrates that offer unique properties, such as different polymer-based materials. Applications for bonding technology are also found in space exploration, where the ceramic tiles used to protect space shuttles against overheating when they re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere are bonded to the shuttle’s outer metal skin using heat-resistant adhesives.