Adhesives and the Engineer

Adhesives have been used for thousands of years. Naturally occurring organic adhesives have been in use since the first shellfish attached itself to a rock. There is good evidence that the ancient Egyptians used inorganic materials to bond furniture. Over the centuries, adhesives have been developed to meet the requirements of various civilizations. Since the industrial revolution and, more lately, since the emergence of the petrochemical industry, adhesives have provided engineers with an adaptable and reliable method of joining a diverse range of materials.