Adhesive and adhesive technology applications are the main sectors of the aviation industry. The aircraft results with the bonding process, significantly reduce the structural weight, improve the fatigue life, simplify process, so many countries of the new technology of bonding technology as aircraft manufacturing, in modern aircraft, almost did not adopt the bonding process, some began to use synthetic adhesives in aircraft manufacturing industry in 40s 20 the actual, now has spread to many countries in the world.
For some aircraft, the adhesive has become the foundation of the whole aircraft design, the whole world by bonding structure of the aircraft has more than 100 kinds of B-58 heavy bombers, supersonic, adhesive plate to 380m - bonding plate, the total area of 85%, which accounted for 90% of honeycomb sandwich structure. Each aircraft is more than 400kg with glue, use as 500 thousand rivet. The Boeing 747 jet airliner with 2500m - film adhesive, sealant 450kg.
Adhesives used in aviation industry are phenolic acetal, phenolic epoxy resin adhesive, etc.. The newly developed second generation acrylate adhesive has been applied to the manufacture of aircraft.
A variety of lightweight alloy materials and advanced composite materials are the main materials used in aerospace vehicles, in addition to a number of other materials, their performance and diversity. These structures composed of different materials, the connections between them are often not connected by traditional methods, and can only use the bonding process, because these structures in the special environment of different use, the adhesive must have corresponding characteristics.
For example, the missile warhead and return type spacecraft reentry through harsh thermal environment, the adhesive must have excellent fire resistant performance, and in space orbit spacecraft in the temperature environment of large temperature difference frequent alternating, then the use of adhesive not only has high and low temperature alternating with excellent characteristic, but also requires a excellent resistance to radiation, high vacuum and in the space environment, little or no release of volatile substances and other characteristics.