Whilst epoxy-based materials have an enormous range of applications, they play a particularly important role in structural adhesives. Excellent gel and handling times are just one of the benefits of using fast curing epoxy systems. However, they aren’t perfect.

Often their performance at elevated temperatures is poor, and they have a tendency to soften after prolonged exposure to high humidity environments.

Temperature performance of an epoxy adhesive or filler is measured by the ‘transitional glass temperature’. Glass transition temperature (Tg) is defined as the temperature at which the mechanical properties of an adhesive radically change due to the internal movement of polymer chains that form the adhesive.

For many structural adhesive applications, the low Tg of these epoxy systems is tolerable, but as the need for high performance composites for fuselage (the main body of an aircraft) increases, so do the service temperature requirements for epoxy adhesives and fillers. This could be partly due to the fact that composite structures are not as effective in dispersing heat as aluminium alloys.

At Forgeway we develop our products with their end use in mind, and always take into account relevant industry specifications. As well as meeting the FST requirements of ABD 0031 and FAR JAR 852.63, Aerok 8250 has been developed into a rapid setting, high performance structural two component epoxy. Combining ease of application with high performance, Aerok 8250’s strength figures are in excess of 32MPa at temperatures of 80°C.

Aerok 8250 is designed to be used for insert potting, filling and jointing of phenolic aramid and aluminium honeycomb panels. It is available in 200ml, 400ml cartridges and bulk dispense. Interested? Call us.