Class approved bracket system for coated and uncoated surfaces using adhesives

 
Welding for the (subsequent) joining of brackets on fully coated surfaces is not an ideal solution, mainly because of the high effort for pre- and post-processing and the heat load transferred into the surrounding steel and the coating system. As part of a nationally funded German research project, a new assembly process for maritime and offshore applications using adhesives was developed in collaboration with the German Fraunhofer Research Institute and intensively tested in laboratory and field trials. During a subsequent certification process, the results were confirmed by static tests (tensile/shear/mixed stress/creep) with aged (temperature change/humidity/chlorides) and unaged samples on six different substrate/coating materials (epoxy, polyurethane, polysiloxane, aluminum, stainless steel, structural steel). Fatigue strength and impact resistance were investigated by complementary dynamic tests. The presentation summarizes the findings and experiences from the three-year project and the certification process.