The prehistoric beginnings of adhesive bonding last back over 200 000 years. Birch tar was a common adhesive for tools, weapons and ships. Until the age of industrialisation only adhesives available from nature were utilized. Then, a variety of sythetic adhesives were available and found mannifold applications. In modern car body manufacturing structural epoxy based adhesives are used for joining chassis parts. To improve corrosion resistance of steel hot-dip galvanizing and electro galvanizing is commonly employed. In this context excellent adhesion and corrosion resistance are demanded for a long lifetime.

Thus the project BOND CORR focusses on the durability and ageing mechanisms of adhesively bonded galvanized steel trip. In particular, the adhesion mechanisms of epoxy-based adhesives are investigated on model systems using modern analytical techniques like XPS and IR spectroscopy. A variety of adhesives in combination with different corrosion tests are investigated to get insigths into the corrosion mechanisms and a fundamental knowledge for optimization of adhesive joints in modern cars.

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