6. Metal bonding

In building and civil engineering, metals are hardly ever glued, as it's simpler and more reliable to assemble them in the traditional way, using screws, bolts or welding.

However, some applications do exist.

• Reinforcement of damaged or cracked concrete structures, by bonding steel sheets to concrete with epoxy adhesives.

  • L'Hermite process

    This technique has been successfully used in France since 1965 to reinforce reinforced concrete structures or the reinforced concrete operating zones of prestressed beams, by bonding 3 to 5 mm-thick sheets to the underside or webs of the beams.

    This increases the bending and shear strength of the structure.

    Calculations can be made in the same way as for reinforced...