Improvement of Bonding between Jewelry Crystals and Epoxy Adhesives

由于被连接的两种材料之间的边界，粘合材料有时会很复杂。粘接不良可能是由于表面污染、安装程序不当或仅仅没有使用正确的粘接产品造成的。此外，这种类型的粘合剂可能对一种材料很有效，但对另一种材料可能不那么有效。本研究的目的是确定一种粘合剂是否可以很好地适用于提交到不同场景的所有类型的水晶珠宝，以及是否需要一种独特的晶体和粘合剂制备工艺。这项由NSERC参与资助的研究将调查在四种晶体类型上使用各种商用粘合剂。胶粘剂的结合强度将在不同的条件下进行评估，如：接收晶体表面的污染，环氧树脂-粘土胶粘剂混合时间，工作时间和固化温度。结合晶体还将受到温度波动（+35°C至35°C）的影响，以重现实际应用并评估其结合强度。通过采用优化技术，将确定最佳配方，以获得最佳粘合强度。所选胶粘剂的性能将有助于对其粘连性和晶体表面制备技术提出建议。预计这项研究将提供一种比以前的方法更快、更可靠的组装技术。将提供一种创新的、独特的一步一步的解决方案/程序，以提供珠宝和环氧粘土粘合剂之间的高强度粘合。

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.