Araldite
Encyclopedia
Araldite is a registered trademark
of Huntsman Advanced Materials (previously part of Ciba-Geigy) referring to their range of engineering and structural epoxy, acrylic, and polyurethane
adhesive
s. The name was first used in 1946 for a two-part epoxy adhesive.
Araldite at the Swiss Industries Fair in 1945. Ciba went on to become one of the 3 major epoxy resin producers worldwide. Ciba's epoxy business was spun off and later sold in the late 1990s and is now the advanced materials business unit of Huntsman Corporation of the US.
In the UK Aero Research Limited
. (ARL) - hence the name; ARaLdite, produced this new synthetic resin adhesive for bonding metals, glass, porcelain, china and other materials. Araldite sets by the interaction of a resin with a hardener. Heat is not necessary although warming will reduce the curing time and improve the strength of the bond. After curing, the joint is claimed to be impervious to boiling water and all common organic solvents. It is available in many different types of packs, the most commond containing two different tubes, one each for the resin and the hardener. Other variations include double syringe-type packages which automatically measure equal parts. This type of packaging, however, is not exact and also poses the problem of unintentional mixing of resin and hardener.
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
of Huntsman Advanced Materials (previously part of Ciba-Geigy) referring to their range of engineering and structural epoxy, acrylic, and polyurethane
Polyurethane
A polyurethane is any polymer composed of a chain of organic units joined by carbamate links. Polyurethane polymers are formed through step-growth polymerization, by reacting a monomer with another monomer in the presence of a catalyst.Polyurethanes are...
adhesive
Adhesive
An adhesive, or glue, is a mixture in a liquid or semi-liquid state that adheres or bonds items together. Adhesives may come from either natural or synthetic sources. The types of materials that can be bonded are vast but they are especially useful for bonding thin materials...
s. The name was first used in 1946 for a two-part epoxy adhesive.
History
The first production of epoxy resins was carried out by De Trey Frères SA of Switzerland. They licensed the process to Ciba AG in the early 1940s and Ciba first demonstrated a product under the tradenameAraldite at the Swiss Industries Fair in 1945. Ciba went on to become one of the 3 major epoxy resin producers worldwide. Ciba's epoxy business was spun off and later sold in the late 1990s and is now the advanced materials business unit of Huntsman Corporation of the US.
In the UK Aero Research Limited
Aero Research Limited
Aero Research Limited was a British company that pioneered several new adhesives, intended initially for the aeronautical industry.Formed in 1934 by Norman de Bruyne at Duxford, Cambridgeshire from an earlier company of his, the Cambridgeshire Aeroplane Construction Company, ARL started a...
. (ARL) - hence the name; ARaLdite, produced this new synthetic resin adhesive for bonding metals, glass, porcelain, china and other materials. Araldite sets by the interaction of a resin with a hardener. Heat is not necessary although warming will reduce the curing time and improve the strength of the bond. After curing, the joint is claimed to be impervious to boiling water and all common organic solvents. It is available in many different types of packs, the most commond containing two different tubes, one each for the resin and the hardener. Other variations include double syringe-type packages which automatically measure equal parts. This type of packaging, however, is not exact and also poses the problem of unintentional mixing of resin and hardener.
Applications
- The use of Araldite in architecture to bond thin joints of pre-cast concrete units was pioneered by Ove ArupOve ArupSir Ove Nyquist Arup, CBE, MICE, MIStructE known as Ove Arup, was a leading Anglo-Danish engineer and generally considered to be one of the foremost architectural structural engineers of his time...
in Coventry cathedralCoventry CathedralCoventry Cathedral, also known as St Michael's Cathedral, is the seat of the Bishop of Coventry and the Diocese of Coventry, in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The current bishop is the Right Revd Christopher Cocksworth....
and the Sydney Opera HouseSydney Opera HouseThe Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
. At Coventry cathedral, Araldite was used to bond its columns and fins, while at Sydney Opera House, Araldite was used to bond the rib sections of the shells, since a traditional concrete joint would have slowed construction, as it would need 24 hours to cure before stressing. - Highmark Manufacturing uses Araldite in the manufacture of advanced ballistic protection body armour.
- Schlösser Metallbau, a manufacturer of metal parts for railway carriages, uses Araldite 2015 to bond aluminium profiles of cab doorframes on the BR 423 Siemens Bombardier tram.
- Fischer Composite Technology GmbH uses the Araldite RTM System to produce carbon composite side blades for the Audi R8.
- Araldite is commonly used as an embedding medium for electron microscopy.
- Flamenco guitarists (e.g. Paco PeñaPaco PeñaPaco Peña is a Spanish flamenco guitarist. He is regarded as one of the world's foremost traditional Flamenco players.Born in Córdoba, Spain as Francisco Peña Pérez, Paco Peña began learning to play the guitar from his brother at age 6 and made his first professional appearance at 12...
) use it to strengthen their fingernails.
Advertising
In 1983, British advertising agency FCO Univas set up a visual stunt presentation of the strength of Araldite by gluing a yellow Ford Cortina to a billboard on Cromwell Road, London, with the tagline "It also sticks handles to teapots". Later, to demonstrate more of its strength, a red identical Ford Cortina was placed on top of the yellow Cortina, with the tagline "The tension mounts". Finally, the car was removed from the billboard, leaving a hole on the billboard and a tagline "How did we pull it off?".See also
- Aero Research LimitedAero Research LimitedAero Research Limited was a British company that pioneered several new adhesives, intended initially for the aeronautical industry.Formed in 1934 by Norman de Bruyne at Duxford, Cambridgeshire from an earlier company of his, the Cambridgeshire Aeroplane Construction Company, ARL started a...
- AeroliteAerolite (adhesive)Aerolite is a urea-formaldehyde gap filling adhesive which is water and heat resistant. It is used in large quantities by the chipboard industry and also by wooden boat builders for its high strength and durability. It is also used in joinery, veneering and general woodwork assembly...
- ReduxRedux (adhesive)Redux is the generic name of a family of phenyl–formaldehyde/polyvinyl–formal adhesives developed by Aero Research Limited at Duxford, UK, in the 1940s, subsequently produced by Ciba . The brand name is now used for a range of epoxy adhesives manufactured by Hexcel. The name is a...