Shear strength evaluation of hydroxide catalysis bonds for glass–glass and glass–aluminum assemblies

Precision bonding is an important manufacturing step for many glass–glass and glass–metal assemblies. Various bonding methods are available, such as optical contacting, epoxy bonding, and hydroxide catalysis bonding. In this paper, the shear strength of hydroxide catalysis bonds is explored. The influences of: (1) the amount of aqueous bonding solution; (2) concentration of the bonding solution; (3) curing time; and (4) curing temperature on bond strength are investigated. Experimental results are presented for glass–glass and glass–aluminum assemblies. Comparison is also made to bond strength and thickness for a commercially available optical cement.