In this section, we will study the adhesives which are used for bonding the most important composite materials:
* thermosetting composites based on epoxy matrixes, the main market being those used for aircraft parts,
* thermosetting composites based on polyester matrixes, mainly used in naval construction and transportation equipment,
* other thermosetting composites such as those based on PU matrixes, used in automotive exterior parts,
* thermoplastic composites based on various chemical compounds: polyolefins, PPS,polyamides, etc...
* high heat resistant composites such as those based on cyanate esters, bis maleimides, epoxy-phenolics, etc...
As we will see, when choosing an adhesive for a given composite material, the first idea that comes to our mind is to select a chemical type which is the same as the resin used as the matrix. Epoxy adhesives are of course totally compatible with epoxy matrixes, therefore they are frequently used because they are the best choice for carbon-epoxy and Kevlar-epoxy composites.