Introduction

A surprisingly large amount of the world is held together via adhesives, yet what they are and how they work is little known. We generally don't notice them because they are hidden from view, yet we get annoyed when, say, a supermarket pack comes open from too little adhesion or refuses to open because of too much. When it comes to selecting an adhesive for a specific job, the choice is large and confusing. The key to understanding what's going on is the phrase that appears throughout the book: Adhesion is a Property of the System. This phrase, combined with a remarkably small number of easy-to-understand general principles, will make you better able to choose the best adhesive for any given job and to appreciate or see through manufacturers’ claims for their glues and tapes. And you'll appreciate that, as with life in general, in adhesion too much of a good thing is a bad thing.