Purpose of Testing Construction Adhesive
Construction adhesives, such as roofing tapes, butyl sealants, and crack filling compounds, must often endure intense conditions while in service. Extreme heat, extreme cold, long-term fluid and moisture exposure, and high pressures are all common in the field, and these adhesives must be able to maintain their performance characteristics without fail.
Construction adhesive testing in a laboratory environment is vital to ensuring the longevity and effectiveness of these high-performance materials. Custom testing programs and industry specifications alike can help manufacturers identify and address any shortcomings to ensure their products remain competitive.
Types of Construction Adhesive Testing
ASTM D413: Standard Test Methods for Rubber Property—Adhesion to Flexible Substrate
ASTM D413 describes test methods to measure the strength between plies of fabric that have been bonded with rubber or rubber layers attached to other surfaces. This includes belting, hoses, tire carcasses, and, specific to construction, rubber-coated sheet metal. ASTM D413 describes different methods for testing adhesion with gravity or machine-generated force.
ASTM D429: Standard Test Methods for Rubber Property—Adhesion to Rigid Substrates
The ability of a rubber compound to maintain adhesion to another surface or material in service is vital for both safety and function. ASTM D429 outlines eight different methods for measuring the static adhesion strength of rubber to rigid materials, especially metal. The methods cover a wide range of adhesion assemblies, including parallel plates, conical specimens, convex shapes, and one-side adhesions, such as tank linings.
ASTM D903: Standard Test Method for Peel or Stripping Strength of Adhesive Bonds
The purpose of ASTM D903 is to measure the peel or stripping conditions of construction adhesive bonds under a range of different conditions, including various types of pretreatment, the speed of the testing machine, and ambient temperature. ASTM D903 is often used to assess roof coatings and can also be used for roofing adhesives.
ASTM D5329 Standard Test Methods for Sealants and Fillers, Hot-Applied, for Joints and Cracks in Asphalt Pavements and Portland Cement Concrete Pavements
ASTM D5329 is ideal for testing asphalt crack fillers used in roads. Specifically, this test spec is designed for hot-applied crack and joint sealants and fillers for asphaltic concrete pavements, concrete, and Portland cement. Specific methods described in ASTM D5329 include flexibility, resilience, tensile adhesion, asphalt compatibility, bond, cone penetration, flow, and artificial weathering testing.
ASTM D6690: Standard Specification for Joint and Crack Sealants, Hot Applied, for Concrete and Asphalt Pavements
ASTM D6690 is designed to test the performance of hot-applied joint and crack sealants. Test methods include cone penetration, softening point, bond properties, and asphalt compatibility. It’s worth noting that ASTM D6690 is not sufficient for testing sealants that may be subject to jet fuel or other fuel spillage, such as sealants used in refueling and maintenance facilities for vehicles and aircraft.
ASTM D7105: Standard Test Method for Determining the Adhesive and Cohesive Strength Between Materials in Roofing or Waterproofing Membranes and Systems
ASTM D7105 measures the strength needed to separate the layers or membranes of a roofing or waterproofing system. ASTM D7105 tests for both adhesive and cohesive strength and weakness.
ASTM D3019: Standard Specification for Lap Cement Used with Asphalt Roll Roofing, Non-Fibered, and Fibered
ASTM D3019 describes methods for assessing the physical properties of lap cement used in asphalt roll roofing. The spec covers three different types of cement:
- A brushing consistency lap cement used for exposed-nailing roofing and made with no stabilizers, mineral or otherwise.
- A heavy brushing or light troweling consistency lap cement used for concealed-nailing roofing, containing short-fibered asbestos.
- A second type of heavy brushing or light troweling consistency lap cement used for concealed-nailing roofing, containing mineral or other stabilizers, but no asbestos.
ASTM C794: Standard Test Method for Adhesion-in-Peel of Elastomeric Joint Sealants
ASTM C794 recreates strain and tensile stress, often to extreme degrees, to assess the performance of cured sealants. It’s not designed for benchmarking the overall performance of different products in a specific application, since it doesn’t consider modulus of elasticity or other factors.
Construction Material Testing From ACE
ACE Laboratories is proud to have an experienced team of construction material testing experts on staff. We offer a comprehensive suite of laboratory testing services for adhesives and other construction materials, so we can help you develop and launch products you’re proud of. Whether you’re beginning work on a new product, looking to improve an existing product, or finalizing regulatory steps before launch, you can count on ACE for accurate data and the fastest turnaround times in the industry.
To learn more about our construction adhesive testing capabilities, talk to a member of our team >