Construction adhesives: Qualification, specification, quality control, and risk mitigation

Adhesive bonding is increasingly becoming an integral part of civil engineering. While adhesives were initially mainly considered as sealants, more and more structurally loaded joints and components are manufactured using them. This chapter presents the main aspects when considering adhesive bonding for typical civil engineering structures. It guides readers through the most relevant properties required for that purpose, and illustrates the matter for some relevant structural materials, or combinations thereof. While there are still few standardized or coded procedures for selecting, designing, and manufacturing load-bearing bonded connections, the chapter will give some general principles regarding qualification, specification, quality control and risk mitigation.