Aerospace Structures

Structural adhesive and material solutions for high performance aircraft structures

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Aircraft structural materials, parts, and engines require high quality aerospace structural adhesive solutions to ensure a safe and reliable fleet for airline operators. From aerospace composite and metal bonding adhesives to surface preparation and lighting strike protection materials, there are a wide range of needs that manufactures require for aircraft production.

Henkel, as a proven structural adhesive material solutions supplier, provides a broad portfolio of products throughout the aerospace supply chain. This includes film, adhesive paste, mold release, primers, syntactic, core fill, potting, and abradable products. All of Henkel’s aircraft primary and secondary structural component materials are designed by experts with years of experience in the aerospace field. Additionally, as a leader in sustainability best practices, Henkel offers environmentally advantaged product options for the aerospace industry’s leading platforms.

To learn more about Henkel’s portfolio of aerospace structural adhesive solutions:

Contact an Expert from our Team

Film Structural Adhesives for Aircrafts

Our broad portfolio of aerospace structural adhesives includes advanced technologies to address today and tomorrow’s most demanding applications. Being a long-term partner for aircraft manufacturers globally, Henkel provides sustainable film adhesive solutions and airframe materials that enhance performance and safety of aircraft as well as the manufacturer’s production efficiency. This includes a wide range of aircraft structural adhesives that are specially designed for high performance applications across the aerospace industry.

Aircraft Composite Bonding

With composite frames becoming more prominent in the aircraft industry, composite materials for aircraft structures have become more advanced. To preserve the structural integrity of critical aircraft components, manufacturers need adhesives that ensure strong bonds between composite sub-components with excellent chemical resistance and extraordinary mechanical performance. LOCTITE® products for aerospace composite bonding fulfill all these requirements and allow engineers to create strong and efficient aircraft structures.

Needing no fasteners, our adhesives for composite bonding lower adherent thickness that lets you take full advantage of stiffness properties of composites and provides a separation of dissimilar materials.

Metal Honeycomb Bonding

In the honeycomb and metal assembly segment, Henkel offers metal bonding films for original construction and repair qualified to all major aerospace specifications. LOCTITE® films are one component, heat curing thin film adhesives. These materials are specifically designed for maximum durability, high strength, and toughness with temperature resistance designed for their operating environment.

Composite Surface Preparation

There are two primary methods for adhesive bond preparation of the surface of a pre-cured carbon fiber composite: Surface abrasion, and the use of release ply fabric, i.e. peel ply. Peel ply is the recommended process because it creates a more uniform surface preparation than hand or machine abrasion.

Henkel’s peel ply makes processes more efficient by minimizing surface preparation. LOCTITE® peel ply provides part longevity and reduces maintenance costs. It ensures a consistent bonding surface with a high-quality bond for today's advanced composite materials.

Surface and Lightning Strike Protection for Aircraft

Lighting strike protection for aircraft requires specialized materials that are applied to the surface of an aircraft. Surfacing films are designed to improve the surface quality of honeycomb stiffened composite parts. They also provide a barrier for dissimilar materials, decrease surface preparation time, and provide protection of structural fibers. LOCTITE® lighting strike protection materials are applicable for both composite and carbon fiber aircraft. Additionally, laminated films composed of a surfacing film and a conductive metal foil protect the composite structure of aircraft parts from damage caused by lightning strikes.

With our LOCTITE® portfolio, you get the most advanced solutions. Economically, they offer up to 30 percent weight savings compared to existing surfacing films. LOCTITE® surfacing films for aircraft also lower the composite part finishing costs. Technically, they provide durable, high-quality paintable surfaces and maximize product and shop flexibility.

To learn more about Henkel’s portfolio of aerospace structural adhesive solutions:

Contact an Expert from our Team

Paste Adhesives for Aircrafts

Aircraft structural paste adhesives are used to bond aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, and composites either in rib-stiffened or honeycomb designs. Henkel provides the aircraft structural adhesive solutions you need: one- and two-part epoxy paste adhesive systems for potting, bonding, fairing, and repair in a range of packaging from a pudding cup to a two-part cartridge kit with static mixers.

Laminate and Wet Lay-up Resins

For high temperatures, wet lay-up, composite construction, or repairs, such as those in aerospace applications, a low viscosity system is needed. This system needs to support both wet lamination processes and out-of-autoclave curing. Henkel offers the perfect solution for the surface preparation of carbon laminates. Our LOCTITE® low viscosity wet lay-up solutions cure very fast under heat and provide an optimal adhering surface for subsequent painting and coating.

Liquid Shims

Whenever gaps and differences between two composite parts occur, solid and liquid shims are used to eliminate them. Liquid shims are typically used to fill gaps less than 3 millimeters or for wide area fits. They are spread on one side of the rib, squeezed together, and bolted. This forces any excess shim material to be squeezed out leaving just the necessary amount of shim to bridge any gaps occurring in the manufacturing process.

LOCTITE® liquid shims are epoxy-based materials that provide not only high compressive strength, but also a balance between open assembly time and strength. 

Fire Retardants

For aircrafts, fire breakout is one of the most dangerous incidents. By using the right fire retardant that is Fire, Smoke, and Toxicity (FST) resistant on honeycomb panels for edge close out, insert bonding, or potting, aircraft OEM and MRO manufacturers can better protect their aircraft.

Henkel has developed special flame-retardant products for aircraft interior applications. They are toughened paste adhesive with superior dispense rate and high compressive strength potting compound. LOCTITE® flame retardants are halogens, antimony, and phenol-free.

Aerospace Potting and Edge-Fill Solutions for Honeycomb Structural Panels

To reduce weight aircraft primary and secondary structural components, honeycomb core structures are used between thin outer wall layers of various substrates to provide needed rigidity and strength. These honeycomb sandwich panels are used throughout the aircraft, in primary, secondary, and interior structures. Where added reinforcement, and particularly compression strength, is needed, potting compounds are used to fill the voids within the honeycomb core and to seal the edges.

As the leading global manufacturer of adhesives, Henkel offers a broad range of potting, edge fill, and encapsulating compounds for use with a variety of substrates, operating temperatures, and other environmental factors. Henkel’s aerospace portfolio provides manufacturers with honeycomb core potting and edge sealing requirements, a range of products that meet critical performance criteria and that are easy to apply and easy to store.

Aerospace Potting Compound Benefits:

  • Improve mechanical strength
  • Provide insulation and resistance to vibration and shock
  • Prevent corrosion from moisture, thermal cycling, dust, and chemicals
  • Include properties that make them well suited for use in aerospace applications

Syntactic Materials

Potting compounds are available in both one and two component systems from low to medium density as well as in syntactic formulations. Syntactic materials provide structural performance with a lower density by mixing hollow or gas filled micro-balloons into the epoxy base material. These advanced materials are available in both paste and film form, and in expanding and non-expanding formulations. 

To learn more about Henkel’s portfolio of aerospace structural adhesive solutions, contact our team of experts

Mold Release for Aircrafts

Henkel’s LOCTITE® FREKOTE release agents, sealers, and cleaners are based on over 50 years of technical experience and are the most trusted for consistent release of composite parts from tools. These wax-and silicone-free release agents polymerize to create a low surface energy film which is durable, chemically resistant, and thermally stable. A minimal transfer to molded components, minimized fouling, easy application, and the highest number of releases possible per application are guaranteed.

Primers for Aircrafts

Ideal for airplane applications, LOCTITE® primers are designed to promote adhesion, protect against corrosion, and improve bond joint long-term durability. They are also available in ozone-safe (non-CFC), solvent-based, and solvent-free formulations.

Further Information

To find out more about Henkel’s aerospace structural material, download the PDFs below.

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