This document provides guidelines describing the adhesive bonding quality requirements suitable for use by adhesive user-companies utilizing adhesive bonding as a means of fabrication. In particular, the guidelines define various approaches to meeting quality requirements for fabrication and reporting procedures, both in workshops and on site. These guidelines aim to convey the importance of maintaining quality standards in fabrication and reporting procedures, keeping records and thus enabling documentation to provide the basis for risk evaluation of adhesively bonded structures in service and in use.

These guidelines have been prepared such that:

a) they are independent of the type of adhesively bonded structure;

b) they are independent of adhesive user-companies’ and suppliers’ product recommendations;

c) they define the quality requirements for adhesive bonding in terms of fabrication and reporting procedures, both in workshops and on site;

d) they can be used as the basis for risk evaluation of adhesively bonded structures in service and in use;

e) they can be used as a basis for assessing a fabricator's capability to produce adhesively bonded structures fulfilling specified quality requirements when they are detailed in one or more of the following:

—    a contract between the parties involved;

—    an application standard;

—    a regulatory statement.

The guidelines contained within this document can be adopted in full or selectively chosen by the adhesive user to suit the structure concerned. The guidelines provide a flexible framework for the control of adhesive bonding activities in the following cases.

Case 1

The provision of specific requirements for adhesive bonding in contracts that require the adhesive user to have a quality system other than ISO 9001.

Case 2

The provision of specific requirements for adhesive bonding as guidance to an adhesive user developing a quality system.

Case 3

The provision of specific requirements for references in application standards that uses adhesive bonding as part of its requirements or in a contract between relevant parties.

Case 4

The provision of a framework for fabrication and reporting procedures to a quality standard, suitable in particular as a basis for the risk evaluation of adhesively bonded structures.