Bonding composites — Road and rail sectors

Since 1980, the number of composite parts in an automobile has risen sharply.

One of the very first mass uses of composite parts in the automotive industry in Europe was the Renault Espace in 1984, in which all the body panels were made of composite materials – glass-fiber-reinforced polyester, – either compression-molded or injected – which were bonded or bolted with inserts to a metal skeleton body.

The old metal bumpers were replaced from 1972 onwards by SMC (Sheet Moulding Compound) bumpers, as on the Renault R 5, and these composite bumpers and bumpers then evolved into two-part composite parts with reinforcements assembled by bonding 1.1.3.3 .

The use of plastic and composite parts necessitates assembly either by gluing, or by using metal inserts embedded in the resin, which can then be connected by screws and bolts.

While the use of plastics and composites is growing in the road sector, it is also increasing in the rail transport sector, mainly in the metro, which implies the use of composite bonding in these sectors too.

In the road and rail transport sectors, the proportion of materials (composites, metals, glass, etc.) assembled by bonding is therefore increasing.

Readers are invited to consult the articles on bonding materials:

• Bonding of materials. Mechanisms. Adhesive classification ;

• Bonding materials. Characteristics and use of adhesives ;

• Bonding materials. Applications

This article is part of a series devoted to composite bonding:

• Choice of bonding for composite assembly ;

• Bonding composites. General ;

• Bonding composites. Aerospace sector ;

• Bonding composites. Road and rail sectors ;

• Composite bonding. Shipbuilding sector ;

• Bonding composites. Construction, sports, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering ;

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