STRUCTURAL ADHESIVES

Abstract

An adhesive formulation having an adduct of an epoxy resin and an elastomer, a phenoxy epoxy hybrid resin supplied as a solution formed by dissolving a phenoxy resin in a liquid epoxy resin to form a pre-formed dissolution product, a core/shell polymer, and one or more additional epoxy resins. The adhesive formulation may include a curing agent, blowing agent, filler, accelerator, or a combination.

Claims

1. A process for forming an adhesive formulation comprising blending: i) an adduct of an epoxy resin and an elastomer, wherein the adhesive formulation contains from about 7% to about 20% by weight of the adduct based on the adhesive formulation; ii) a solution of a phenoxy epoxy hybrid resin formed by dissolving a phenoxy resin in a liquid epoxy resin to form a pre-formed dissolution product, wherein the adhesive formulation contains between 3% and 10% by weight of phenoxy resin; iii) a core/shell polymer, wherein the adhesive formulation contains from 5% to 30% by weight of the core/shell polymer; and iv) one or more additional epoxy resins.

2. The process for forming the adhesive formulation according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive formulation contains from about 7% to about 15% by weight of the adduct based on the adhesive formulation.

3. The process for forming the adhesive formulation according to claim 1, wherein the adduct includes about 1:5 to about 5:1 parts of epoxy to elastomer.

4. The process for forming the adhesive formulation according to claim 1, wherein the elastomer in the adduct is selected from natural rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, polyisoprene, polyisobutylene, polybutadiene, isoprene-butadiene copolymer, neoprene, nitrile rubber, butyl rubber, polysulfide elastomer, acrylic elastomer, acrylonitrile elastomers, silicone rubber, polysiloxanes, polyester rubber, diisocyanate-linked condensation elastomer, EPDM (ethylene-propylene diene rubbers), chlorosulphonated polyethylene, fluorinated hydrocarbons, and any combination thereof.

5. The process for forming the adhesive formulation according to claim 5, wherein the adduct of the epoxy resin and the elastomer is derived from a butadiene acrylonitrile rubber.

6. The process for forming the adhesive formulation according to claim 1, wherein the phenoxy resin is of the formula ##STR00002## where n is from 30 to 100.

7. (canceled)

8. (canceled)

9. (canceled)

10. The process for forming the adhesive formulation according to claim 1, wherein the core/shell polymer has a ductile core and a rigid shell which is compatible with the other components of the adhesive formulation.

11. The process for forming the adhesive formulation according to claim 1, wherein the core/shell polymer includes elastomers, polymers, thermoplastics, copolymers, and combinations thereof.

12. An adhesive formulation according to claim 11, wherein the core/shell polymer includes a first polymeric material and a second polymeric material, wherein the first polymeric material, the second polymeric material, or both, include one or more thermoplastics.

13. The process for forming the adhesive formulation according to claim 11, wherein the core/shell polymer includes a first polymeric material and a second polymeric material, wherein the polymeric materials are selected from styrenics, acrylonitriles, acrylates, acetates, polyamides, polyethylenes, and any combination thereof.

14. The process for forming the adhesive formulation according to claim 1, wherein the core/shell polymer is a graft copolymer.

15. The process for forming the adhesive formulation according to claim 14, wherein the core includes other copolymerizable containing compounds, selected from styrene, vinyl acetate, methyl methacrylate, butadiene and isoprene.

16. (canceled)

17. The process for forming the adhesive formulation according to claim 14, wherein the shell is polymerized from alkyl acrylates and/or methacrylates.

18. (canceled)

19. The process for forming the adhesive formulation according to claim 1, comprising from about 0.001% to about 10% by weight of a curing agent.

20. The process for forming the adhesive formulation according to claim 19, wherein the curing agent is selected from aliphatic or aromatic amines or their respective adducts, amidoamines, polyamides, cycloaliphatic amines, anhydrides, polycarboxylic polyesters, isocyanates, phenol-based resins, and mixtures thereof.

21. (canceled)

22. The process for forming the adhesive formulation according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive formulation comprises an accelerator for the curing agent.

23. (canceled)

24. The process for forming the adhesive formulation according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive formulation contains between 7% and 15% by weight of the liquid epoxy resin of the phenoxy epoxy hybrid resin.

25. (canceled)

26. The process for forming the adhesive formulation according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive formulation comprises a blowing agent.

27. The process for forming the adhesive formulation according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive formulation comprises a filler.

28. (canceled)

29. (canceled)

30. (canceled)

31. The process for forming the adhesive formulation according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive formulation comprises one or more liquid polysulfides.

32.-45. (canceled)

Description

EXAMPLE 1

[0087] The following formulation was prepared.

TABLE-US-00001 Ingredient Grams Masterbatch 105 Epoxy elastomer adduct  30 Epalloy 8220 140 Kaneka MX 136 (25% core/shell polymer dissolved  12 in 75% Bisphenol F epoxy resin) Dicydianamide (Amicure CG 1200)  20 Omicure 52  2 Calcibrite OG calcium carbonate  75 Nanopox 510 (40% nano particle size silica in  20 60% Bisphenol F epoxy resin)

[0088] Masterbatch and the adduct are placed into a sigma blade mixer/extruder, the Nanopox and the Kaneka are then added followed by the calcium carbonate and the epoxy resin. Finally the dicydianamide and the omicure are added and the materials mixed for about 15 minutes and a vacuum is applied to remove any entrapped air.

[0089] The adhesive properties of the formulation were tested by measuring the average T-peel strength at room temperature, the lap shear at room temperature and the wedge impact strength over the temperature range −40° C. to 90° C. The lap shear was measured employing 1.8 mm thick galvanised steel coupons as the substrate. The glass transition temperature of the cured adhesive was 131.4° C.

[0090] The results of the tests were as follows.

TABLE-US-00002 T-peel 9.35 N/mm Lap shear 35.4 MPa   Wedge impact 90° C. 36.9 N/mm 23° C. 33.0 N/mm −30° C.   22.3 N/mm −40° C.   21.6 N/mm

[0091] The results show a relatively low drop in wedge impact from 90° C. to −40° C.; considerably less than current automotive crash durable adhesives where the high temperature value can be at least three times the low temperature value. Typical −40° C. values are below 20 N/mm. This low temperature performance coupled with the high Tg has significant benefits.

EXAMPLE 2

[0092] A similar formulation to that of Example 1 was prepared except that an additional 5 grams of the Kaneka MX 136 solution replaced 5 grams of the masterbatch.

[0093] In order to measure the extent of the high temperature degradation of the adhesive properties the lap shear strength (in MPa) was measured over the temperature range of −30° C. to 90° C. using 45 mm wide, 0.8 mm thickness with a 10 mm overlap. The results were as follows.

TABLE-US-00003 Temperature ° C. Lap Shear Strength −30   25.8  0 23.6 30 21.9 60 21.5 90 20.2

[0094] The results show that the shear strength is largely retained a high temperature showing unusually consistent performance over a broad temperature range.

[0095] The difference in values between Example 1 and 2 may be attributed to the difference in the thickness of the test substrate.

EXAMPLE 3

[0096] The following formulation was prepared in a manner similar to Example 1. [0097] Omicure 52—5 grams [0098] Dicydianamide (Amicure CG 1200)—20 grams [0099] 40% phenoxy/60% Bisphenol Epoxy resin dissolution—80 grams [0100] Araldite GY 282—90 grams [0101] Paraloid EXL 2650—50 grams [0102] Epoxy resin elastomer adduct (70%), Hycar 1300×31 (30%)—80 grams

[0103] The adhesive had the following properties [0104] Lap shear: 36.8 MPa [0105] T-peel: 11.33 N/mm [0106] Wedge Impact −30 C: 27.24 N/mm [0107] Wedge Impact −40 C: 25.5 N/mm

EXAMPLE 4

[0108] The following formulation was prepared in a manner similar to Example 1. [0109] Omicure 52-5 grams [0110] Dicydianamide (Amicure CG 1200)—20 grams [0111] 40% phenoxy/60% Bisphenol Epoxy resin dissolution—75 grams [0112] Epalloy 8220-110 grams [0113] Paraloid EXL 2650-75 grams [0114] Epoxy elastomer adduct (2-types of solid epoxy, 4-type solid epoxy equal mix) 70%, Hycar 1300×31 (30%) [0115] Zeospeheres 1200: 30 grams

[0116] The adhesive had the following properties [0117] Lap shear: 34.06 MPa [0118] T-peel: 8.75 N/mm [0119] Wedge Impact −30 C: 44.93 N/mm [0120] Wedge Impact −40 C: 38.36 N/mm

EXAMPLE 5

[0121] The following formulation was prepared in a manner similar to Example 1. [0122] Omicure 52—5 grams [0123] Dicydianamide (Amicure CG 1200)—20 grams [0124] 40% phenoxy/60% Bisphenol Epoxy resin dissolution—52.5 grams [0125] Epalloy 8220—120 grams [0126] Paraloid EXL 2650—52.5 grams [0127] Epoxy elastomer adduct (60%), Hycar 1300×13 (20%), Hycar 1300×8 [0128] (20%)—30 grams [0129] Calibrite OG—75 grams [0130] Thioplast EPS15 (polysulfide)—20 grams [0131] Kaneka 135-10 grams [0132] Nanopox 510-20 grams

[0133] The adhesive had the following properties [0134] Lap shear: 34.84 MPa [0135] T-peel: 10.42 N/mm [0136] Wedge Impact −30 C: 22.9 N/mm [0137] Wedge Impact −40 C: 21.28 N/mm

[0138] The Lap shear test in examples 3 to 5 employed: [0139] Metal—Galvanized Steel [0140] Coupon size: 25 mm×100 mm×1.8 mm [0141] Overlap: 12.5 mm [0142] Bondline thickness: 0.3 mm [0143] Oil: Quaker N6130

[0144] T-Peel test in examples 3 to 5 employed: [0145] Metal—Galvanized Steel [0146] Coupon size—100 mm×25 mm×0.7 mm [0147] Bondline thickness—0.3 mm [0148] Oil: None.

[0149] The Wedge Impact test employed: [0150] Metal—Electrogalvanised Steel [0151] Thickness—0.2 mm