Bonding composites - Shipbuilding sector

For the past 40 years, shipbuilding has been a preferred field for composite materials, in particular glass-reinforced polyester (GRP), to replace putrescible wood with materials that are insensitive to marine corrosion and seawater, while ensuring excellent buoyancy and making it possible to produce large, solid hollow volumes at low cost.

For medium-sized boats (pleasure craft, fishing boats, large racing catamarans, as well as small commercial vessels or minehunters that don't need metal hulls), we build voluminous hulls in polyester-glass laminates, to which we assemble the ribs, longitudinal and torque reinforcements, which are also made of composite materials (pultruded, etc.) that can be glued or assembled by lamination.

This article is part of a series devoted to composite bonding:

• Choice of adhesive for bonding composites ;

• Bonding composites. General ;

• Bonding composites. Aerospace sector ;

• Bonding composites. Road and rail sectors ;

• Composite bonding. Shipbuilding sector ;

• Bonding composites. Construction, sports, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering ;

• Bonding composites. To find out more , where readers will find technical information (technical data sheets for certain adhesives), lists of suppliers of adhesives, materials and services, French, European, international and American standards, as well as sources of information (Internet sites, standards bodies or competence centers).

More broadly, this article completes the set devoted to the bonding of materials:

• Material bonding. Mechanism. Adhesive classification ;

• Bonding materials. Application and characteristics of adhesives ;

• Bonding materials. Applications ;

• Bonding materials. To find out more .