The German Maritime Centre commissioned a study on adhesive bonding in shipbuilding in the autumn of 2019. The objective of the study was to examine the current state of technology and research, regulations and standards, as well as potential applications and cost savings.
“This study gives us a clear picture of the technical and regulatory hurdles which the use of adhesive bonding is subject to today,” says Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Sichermann, managing director of the German Maritime Centre. “Our goal is to initiate standardisation of certification processes,” his colleague Peipei Wang explains.
The study examined the application of adhesive bonding in shipbuilding, boatbuilding, inland shipbuilding and the offshore industry; the main focus was on shipbuilding. The increasing use of adhesive bonding in shipbuilding holds great potential for shipyards to boost their competitive position and consolidate their lead in technology. A special advantage of adhesive bonding is that it can be used as a cold joining process, thus making it possible to bond a variety of materials (without damaging coatings, for example), and as an enabling technology for lightweight construction. Thus, it also contributes to the reduction of the climate footprint of industrial maritime products.
Experts involved in the study see the current regulatory environment as the greatest obstacle to the more widespread use of adhesive bonding in shipbuilding. In its conclusion, the study proposes structure and content for the requisite development of standardised regulation.
In a follow-up to the study, a team of experts made up of industry representatives will be established and tasked with developing standardised regulation. “We are offering to guide and moderate this project,” Peipei Wang says, “The kick-off event is scheduled to take place in the late summer of 2020.”
The study was carried out by the Center of Maritime Technologies. For a summary of the findings see the button below.
The complete study (only in German) can be found here.
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