Chapter 7: Sticking Other Things Together

The second half of the book is all about adhesion in the real world. In this chapter we look at a range of classic adhesive systems you are likely to encounter, focussing on the challenges and solutions for each specific type. However different an adhesive task might be, the basics that we've learned in the first half of the book are a reliable guide to understanding why the adhesive system is formulated the way it is. In fact, this chapter doesn't include many household tasks because we have already established the key principles in earlier chapters. Here we cover the extra requirements of a diverse range such as: cements, ceramics, plasterboard, tiles, nail polish, lipstick, joining metals, wood glues, dental adhesives and why there is, so far, no good adhesive for sticking bones back together. In some cases, the adhesive is deliberately applied in an uneven manner, a fact that emerges from the laws of squeezing. Although the emphasis is on permanent adhesion, the challenges of providing strong but temporary adhesion are also discussed.