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Chapter

19 Information Technology

19.1

Introduction

The computer age has made significant and somewhat unexpected impacts on the adhesives and sealants industries in recent years. Computers and analytical programs have, of course, greatly assisted both adhesive developers and manufacturers. As examples, computer analysis capabilities have been able to help us understand the stress distributions within complex joints and to simulate the effect of chemical or moisture penetration within the adhesive joint. Such advances are expected of a mature industry and technology. However, what was somewhat unexpected is the assistance that information technology provides to the end user of adhesives and sealants. These advances can primarily be classified as: 䡲 Information access 䡲 Search and selection capabilities

There are several examples given in this chapter for each of these areas. It is apparent that information handling technologies are just now making inroads into this rather conservative industry. The future use of computers and information science in providing assistance to the end users appears to have significant potential. It may be appropriate to add ‘‘information sciences’’ to the sciences shown in Fig. 1.3 that make-up what we know today about adhesives and sealants technology. 19.2

Information Access

There are, of course, a proliferation of Internet web sites belonging to manufacturers of adhesives and sealants. These range from those that 759

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provide simply a contact person, to those that supply complete product descriptions, instructions on how to use the product, tutorials on surface preparation and joint design, and links to related web sites. The web sites that are related to the adhesives and sealants industry are identified in a number of publications and directories. A good directory is in the Annual Buyers’ Guide (Supplier Section) for the periodical ‘‘Adhesives & Sealants Industry’’. Several trade magazines have also begun periodic review of industry related web sites. It is not the intention in this chapter to review these web sites, but to highlight several that are good examples of the potential capabilities and that have generally provided useful information to the user of adhesives and sealants. The following web sites are in that category and worthy of a bookmark. The Adhesives and Sealant Council, Inc. Adhesives and Sealants Online Assembly Magazine Online Adhesives for Industry Tech Center

19.3

www.ascouncil.org www.adhesivesandsealants.com www.assemblymag.com ww.gluguru.com

Adhesive and Sealant Selection

Several web sites have been set-up to not only inform the user of products and services offered by the manufacturers of adhesives and sealants, but also to provide real knowledge that can be used in the every day selection and utilization of these materials. Several of these web sites will be reviewed here. The list is definitely not meant to be all encompassing. There are new sites coming on-stream daily. Those that are identified in this chapter represent the opportunities that such sites provide to both the user and manufacturer of adhesives and sealants. Users should be cautious of working with the programs embedded in these websites, however. Their ease of use can create a false sense of security. If possible, time should be spent learning the underlying assumptions of the program. As with use of any computer intelligence program, one should apply experience, common sense, and outside opinions to the results that are provided to check their accuracy and to help in avoiding catastrophic mistakes. These computer systems can be used profitably as a ‘‘front end engine’’ to make the initial gathering of information and sources more efficient. One should never ‘‘blindly use’’ the result provided from such a program. Because the adhesives and sealants industry is very fragmented (several very large companies, but thousands of very small companies), locating the right adhesive has been very much of a hit or miss proposition. On the part of the adhesive or sealant user, it requires contacting dozens of manufacturers, listing requirements, and discus-

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sion trade-offs. Also, the prospective adhesive user doesn’t always know what questions to ask the manufacturer. From the manufacturer’s side, it is also a difficult process. The response to potential customers’ inquiries takes up much of their technical marketing staff’s time, and volumes may not be there to justify significant development or follow-through. So frequently, both user and manufacturer spend much time on a query only to find that what the manufacturer offers and what the user wants do not match. The web sites listed below attempt to make this process much more efficient. In addition to selecting adhesives for a specific application, selection programs also provide a means to comparison shop, in order to find a less expensive product or a second source of supply. It is also possible to search for alternative products that conform to regulatory requirements which the current product may not fulfill. 19.3.1

AdhesivesMart

A new industrial adhesive web site at www.AdhesivesMart.com already contains information on over 1,000 adhesives.1 Developed by AdhesivesMart Inc., located in West Newton, MA, the web site is designed to make life easier for both users and manufacturers of industrial adhesives. In essence, AdhesivesMart.com acts as a middleman and matchmaker by efficiently connecting the two sides of the market. AdhesivesMart.com is the Internet’s first example of providing a complete and sophisticated selection process for an industrial product. It has combined a search engine with a questionnaire that helps define the characteristics of the adhesives that are required. After the questionnaire is completed, the prospective user receives a list of products that meets the ‘‘specifications’’ provided. If the list is too long, the user is asked to refine the questionnaire to narrow down the search and be more focused. Searchers working through AdhesivesMart.com can also request pricing details, technical specifications, Material Safety Data Sheets, and other information from the manufacturers through the web site. The web site forwards these requests directly to the manufacturer who responds to the site user via e-mail, surface mail, or a phone call. AdhesivesMart does not take orders or represent specific manufacturers. Instead, the company receives a commission from suppliers on sales that occur as a result of the web site connection. 19.3.2

Adhesive Selector

Another selector tool, Adhesive Selector, can be found on www. assemblymag.com/toolbox/adhesive.2 Similar to AdhesivesMart.

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com, this tool allows a user to enter a number of variables, and the selector will suggest the best possible materials to use. The variables include: 䡲 Substrate to be bonded 䡲 Upper limit of temperature to which the adhesive can be exposed 䡲 Lower limit of temperature to which the adhesive can be exposed 䡲 Maximum tensile strength 䡲 Viscosity 䡲 Cure time 䡲 Additional cure needs 䡲 Environmental conditions to which the adhesive may be subjected 䡲 Chemicals to which the adhesive may be subjected 䡲 Special requirements and traits, such as thermal conductivity and

FDA clearance The Adhesives Selector is very intuitive. The user follows a clear and logical path to get results that let him or her speak intelligently to adhesive suppliers. The user first enters the basic material types that are to be joined. From there, the selector allows a more detailed description of the materials, and the user can enter more detailed process and joining information. The results are provided to the user in a weighted manner, indicating which adhesive type works best in the conditions the user has selected. Clicking on the selected adhesive types provides a detailed description of adhesive properties. The Adhesive Selector is the result of a cooperative effort between the editors of Assembly magazine and the Edison Welding Institute (EWI). Future additions to the selector include links to treatises on adhesive use and technical papers. 19.3.3

Sealant System

The National Research Council of Canada began developing an expert computer-based system for sealant joint design.3 Innovative Technology, Inc. of Ottawa Ontario, has taken this work and developed it into a Microsoft Windows-based program called Sealant System. The following data is provided as input to the Sealant System: 䡲 Project characteristics 䡲 Joint description 䡲 Joint design 䡲 Joint characteristics 䡲 Sealant characteristics

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The user first inputs the geographical location, construction tolerances, and units of measure that are applicable to the sealant project. The joint descriptions are provided by various pull-down menus. They feature parameters such as the joint location in a building, and whether or not to use a primer. For the joint design, the user selects the joint shape as either butt or fillet. From various pull-down menus, the substrate materials and characteristics are also chosen. Dimensions are added to the joint design at this stage. The user then chooses various desirable sealant properties, such as mildew resistance, paintability, or abrasion resistance. Finally, a decision is made to specify the joint width either directly or by indicating the movement range of interest. Once this data are placed into the system, the Sealant System designs the joint and provides the following output: 䡲 All calculations 䡲 Possible commercial sealants 䡲 All relevant specifications

Joint design calculations for thermal and moisture movements are provided as well as joint width dimensions and sealant movement range. The program selects from its database of sealants those materials that meet the joint movement and input sealant characteristics. The program can also print out sealant specifications that are relevant to the project. Sealant System is a stand alone computer program. Future versions of the program will incorporate user comments, the latest contribution to sealant joint design testing and theory. Other joint design methodologies, such as tension and compression combined with shear movement, will also be incorporated into the program. 19.3.4

ADHESIVES

ADHESIVES is a database access program whose main focus is facilitating access to basic adhesive bonding technology.4 It is sponsored by the U.S. Army Material Command and the Army Aviation Systems Command (AVS-COM). Prototype adhesives databases were constructed and have been reported in the literature, and these have led to the more advanced ADHESIVES database The ADHESIVES database includes not only the properties of specific adhesives, but also additional supporting information on adherends, surface preparations, physical/chemical test methods, and repair techniques and procedures. In addition, major sections of the database are devoted to information on the design and manufacturing of bonded structures and lessons learned from past adhesive bonding

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problems. The database also provides the technical results from adhesive evaluations performed by DOD agencies, independent test labs, and adhesive manufacturers. The information contained in the database is unclassified, but a significant portion is categorized for government use only. Program access is therefore restricted to government and contractor personnel strictly on a ‘‘need to know’’ basis. In an effort to assure maximum program use, company proprietary information has been excluded. The information that is provided and maintained in the ADHESIVES database is the following: 䡲 Laboratory test data 䡲 Trade identifications 䡲 Adhesive materials 䡲 Surface preparations 䡲 Adherends 䡲 Test methods 䡲 Documents 䡲 Glossary

One of the most interesting sections of the ADHESIVES database is the ‘‘Lessons Learned’’ section. One could argue that the best available source of information is the historical knowledge gained from experience with actual adhesive bonding systems. The Lessons Learned files can be accessed in three ways: type of material, hardware item, or category of failure. Submenus then narrow the possible choices to a small list of fields. The Category of Failures files classifies the origin of failure to either the design, manufacturing, or service phases of the hardware life cycle. In each case, a record appears that describes the hardware, the problem, its solution, and any lesson derived from the incident. References 1. ‘‘Web Site Speeds Search for Industrial Adhesives’’, (no author), Adhesives Age, May 1998. 2. Williams, T. A., ‘‘Adhesive Selector Debuts’’, Assembly, November 1998. 3. O’Connor, T. F., and Myers, J. C., ‘‘Black Magic and Sealant Joints: Very Little in Common Anymore’’, Adhesives Age, 1997. 4. Desmond, A. T., et al., ‘‘Database Helps Engineers Choose Proper Bonding Method’’, Adhesives Age, May 1992.