Thermoplastic Adhesive for Automotive Applications

The objective of this study is to give a general overview on the thermoplastic adhesives used in the automotive sector. Some of the main applications in which the hot-melt adhesives (HMAs) are used in automotive industries are indicated, together with the adhesive characteristics that explain the reasons for their adoption. The chemical and mechanical behavior of these adhesives and the generally used experimental characterization methods are presented and opportunely criticized. In this study, some of the main properties of thermoplastic adhesives are reviewed together with the standard tests used for their characterization. For what concerns the structural performance, single lap joint test is used to determine the shear strength of the adhesive joint. Thermogravimetric analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy are used to characterize the chemical properties of the adhesive. This study clarifies what are the potentialities of a thermoplastic adhesive in car industries compared to other adhesives.