Adhesive force

Cohesive force

Correct preparation of the surfaces to be glued:

The mechanism of sticking and bonding is based on the interaction of two key factors:adhesion and cohesion, which we explain briefly below.

The two forces of glueing

The figure shows a close-up view of the glued joint.

The marked forces are divided into adhesive forces and cohesive forces.

The adhesive force is the force which holds together the atoms ormolecules of different bodies (in our example wood and glue).

Cohesive forces are forces which hold together the atoms ormolecules of the same body. In our case, this is the cohesion of theglue particles among themselves.

Influencing cohesion:

You cannot really influence the cohesive force itself significantly; it depends on the type of glue and how itwas made. Of course you should always observe the correct blending and not exceed the use-by date.

What you can influence is the accuracy of fit of the parts to be joined and the resulting distance between theglued surfaces.

If the glued joint is "wider" than 0.2 mm, the forces in the jointare significantly reduced.For the best result, the wood surfaces should be glued quicklyafter creating the joint. If you wait too long, the exactly fittingjointing surface may warp slightly due to varying humidity, andin the case of oily woods such as teak, oil may leak, preventing aclean contact surface.

Influencing adhesion:

Adhesion you can influence directly, e.g. by

making sure the jointing surfaces are clean and free of grease.The glue cannot stick to a surface that is tainted by greasy or oilysubstances. To avoid this, it is recommended that you wipe thesurfaces to be glued with acetone or alcohol.Another crucial factor is the application of the glue, which mustbe thin and even. If the glue is not applied evenly, the bondingforces between the wood and the glue are lacking at some points,which reduces the bonding strength of the entire glued joint.

Glue

Glued joint

Adhesive force

Cohesive force

For more information, our expertsare at your service

Should you have any difficulties whenrealizing our projects, please do nothesitate to contact us, we will be at yourdisposal. You can reach our experts at thefollowing hotline: +49(0)991-9109-922.

A wide range of special glues

We offer a broad range of products for various application areas from traditional reversible animal glues, e.g.hide glue to polyvinyl acetate glue (common casein glue), e.g. Titebond Original and waterproof foamingpolyurethane glue, e.g. Titebond PU glue till two-component glue.

You will find a wide variety of glues in our DICK assortment.