Reduction in fixture time of a two-component structural acrylic adhesive

The present paper examines the reduction of fixture time of a commercially available structural acrylic adhesive while maintaining its ultimate mechanical properties. Experimental work was performed by varying methods of addition and quantities of a promoter pair (saccharin and N,N-dimethyl-p-toluidine (DMpT)) with copper as the bonding substrate. Fixture time and ultimate strength were measured by lap-shear testing at both short and long intervals, while extent of cure was followed simultaneously by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Choices of optimal ratios of promoters and addition mode were found to yield substantial reductions in set time—down to 2.5 min, while retaining the desired mechanical performance.