Improvement of Bonding between Jewelry Crystals and Epoxy Adhesives

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Adhesively bonding materials can be complex at times due to the boundary between the two materials beingjoined. Poor bonding can be caused by surface contaminations, improper installation procedures or simply notusing the right bonding product. In addition, it is possible that the type of adhesive works well for one materialbut may not be as effective for a different material.The objective of this study will determine if one adhesive can work well for all types of crystal jewelrysubmitted to different scenarios and if a unique preparation process for the crystals and adhesives are required.The research supported by this NSERC Engage Grant will investigate the use of a variety of commerciallyavailable adhesives on four crystal types. The adhesive bond strength will be evaluated under differentconditions such as: contaminates on the as-received crystal surfaces, epoxy-clay adhesive mixing time, workingtimes and curing temperature. The bonded crystals will also be subjected to temperature fluctuations (+35°C to-35°C) to reproduce real world applications and their bond strength assessed. By employing an optimizationtechnique, the best formulation will be determined for the best bond strength.The performance of the selected adhesives will enable recommendations to be made related to their adhesionability and crystal surface preparation technique. It is anticipated the research will provide a faster, morereliable assembling technique than the previous approach. An innovative, unique step-by-stepsolution/procedure to provide a high strength bond between jewelry and epoxy-clay adhesives will be provided.