Assembly and adhesive bonding for rail structures
Sub-assembly and carbody assembly with controlled adhesive bonding: specified materials, cleaning, priming, application and cure, carried out by qualified EAE and EAS personnel.
- Controlled bonding process
- Project-defined requirements
- EAE and EAS specialists
- Qualified bonding personnel
- No heat into the material
- Why a joint is bonded
Why a joint is bonded
Bonding joins parts through adhesion to the prepared surface and cohesion inside the adhesive itself. It is chosen where a weld or a fastener would damage the part, the material pair or the visible surface.
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No thermal effect
Unlike welding, bonding puts no heat into the material, so a thin aluminium sheet is not distorted at the joint.
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No corrosion at the fastening points
Compared with a riveted or bolted joint, bonding removes the drilled points at which corrosion starts.
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Design freedom
The load is carried by the whole bonded area, so different materials and thin sections can be joined.
Requirements of an industrial bonding process
Bonding is run as a managed process, not as a single work step. The specification, the personnel, the materials and the checks are all in place before the first bead is applied.
- Bonding specification
- The specification for every bonded joint is fixed between customer and AMM before production starts.
- Project requirements
- Each bonded joint follows the customer specification and the agreed materials, preparation, application, cure and inspection route.
- Personnel
- Qualified EAE and EAS specialists carry out and supervise the bonding work.
- Storage and handling
- Adhesives, primers and prepared parts have their own storage, packing and dispatch conditions.
- In-process control
- Quality checks run in parallel with production, not only on the finished assembly.
Cleaning, primer, application and cure
The sequence is the same for every bonded joint: the bonding surfaces are cleaned and activated, primer is applied where the specification calls for it, the adhesive is applied within its open time, the parts are brought together and fixtured in the position the drawing requires, and the joint is held there until the adhesive has cured.
Bonding inside the assembly
Bonded joints sit next to welded and bolted connections in the same structure, so the assembly is planned as one operation.
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Assembly fixtures
Fixtures hold the parts in the required position while the adhesive cures.
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Dimensional control
The assembly is measured to the drawing before it moves to painting or dispatch.
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Handling
Prepared surfaces and cured joints are protected while the assembly is turned, lifted and moved between stations.