Page 165 - Handbook of Adhesives and Sealants

Standard Test Methods 135

TABLE 4.1 Selected ASTM Tests for Adhesives (Continued)
Volume resistivity
Volume Resistivity of Conductive Adhesives, Test for (D 2739)
Water absorptiveness (of paper labels)
Water Absorptiveness of Paper Labels, Test for (D 1584)
Weathering
(See Durability)
Wedge test
Adhesive Bonded Surface Durability of Aluminum (Wedge Test) (D 3762)
Working life
Working Life of Liquid or Paste Adhesive by Consistency and Bond Strength, Test for
(D 1338)
*The latest revisions of ASTM standards can be obtained from the American Society for
Testing and Materials, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, Conshohocken, PA 19428.

tions that do not stress the joint significantly different than it would
normally be stressed in service.
The usefulness and limitations of standard testing methods should
be understood clearly before a testing program is established. The user
of adhesives and sealants must choose the test geometry, procedure,
and methodology that best serves the application. To do this, one
needs to understand the differences in the various test methods and
the parameters that will affect the data. Once the advantages and
limitations of the various standard tests are understood, the end-user
may find it necessary to devise his own methods to test specific com-
binations of loads and environments that are anticipated.
It should be apparent by now, that there are numerous parameters
that can affect the performance of a joint, and many combinations of
parameters are possible. Therefore, a prime rule in any adhesive or
sealant testing program is to standardize and document test variables
as thoroughly as possible. The adhesive formulator, supplier, and end-
user should all utilize the exact same procedures and specimen con-
struction. Test programs that are performed at different locations in
the company and by different personnel should make every effort to
be identical to one another.

4.3 Fundamental Material Property Tests
Fundamental tests can be used for monitoring the consistency of in-
coming products that are used in the adhesive bonding or sealing op-
erations. Such tests may be used to characterize either the adhesive,
adherend, or other materials, such as primers or solvents, used in the
joint or in its construction.