Gums, Adhesives and Sealants

Gums and sealants refer to substances which block the passage of fluids through the surface or openings or joints in materials. The gums and sealants might be weak or strong, permanent or temporary, flexible or rigid in nature. The sealants are not really known to be adhesives, but some have adhesive qualities and are called ‘structural sealants’ or ‘adhesive sealants’.

 

The gums and sealants have a number of properties and are known to be very effective in waterproofing processes by keeping the moisture out. These substances are known to provide acoustic and thermal insulation and may also serve to be as fire barriers. These substances may have electrical properties as well and may be used for filling or smoothing. Typically, it needs to be well understood that gums and sealants are used to close small openings that are difficult to shut materials such as dry call and concrete. 

The properties of sealants include adhesion, corrosion resistance as well as insolubility. The sealants are known to have wide applications in the field of aerospace, construction as well as automotive industries. The common areas of use of sealants are – pipe threads, aircrafts, aquariums, HVAC systems, engines, casting, reservoirs, roofs, marine industry, military grade, radiators, hydraulic systems, architectural buildings, and much more. 

The adhesives are known to be mucilage, cement, glue or paste. The adhesives are actually a kind of non-metallic substance that is applied to one or both surfaces of separate items which are known to bind together so that they resist separation. The use of adhesives is in sewing, welding as well as mechanical fastenings. Adhesives may be produced synthetically or found naturally. 

There exist certain differences between a sealant and an adhesive. A sealant is generally low in strength as compared to an adhesive which has different applications. The sealants are normally used to fill gaps and resist movement of the surfaces. Adhesives are known to be stronger than sealants. Sealants are known to provide the assembly with more flexibility and care. There are various sealant types, such as, water based latex, acrylic, silicone, polyisobutylenes, polyurethane acrylic, and others. Sealants have properties of consistency, durability, hardness, exposure resistance, movement capability, modulus, adhesion, staining, VOC content, ease of application, cost, and others. 

A sealant is actually a kind of a viscous material that has no flow or little flow characteristics. Typically, sealants close small openings which are otherwise difficult to shut. There are different types of sealants which have already been mentioned before. Thus, it should be well noted and understood that gums, adhesives and sealants have a wide number of applications in different industries and these need to be well taken care of. 

For an adhesive to be effective, it must have certain specifc properties – 1. It must be able to make the substrate wet, 2) It must increase in strength after its specific application, 3) it must be able to transmit load between the substrates or surfaces being adhered to. Thus, all these important characteristics and applications need to be well noted and understood.