Highly relevant for many applications and industries”: Elisa Arikan wins Adhesion Innovation Award
The paper on "Structural adhesive bonding of polymers – Surface characteristics and adhesion mechanism" by Elisa Arikan was awarded with the FEICA/EURADH Adhesion Innovation Award.
According to Ms Arikan adhesion is mainly determined by surface roughness and not by surface chemistry. Image source: Skitterphoto - Pixabay (symbol image).
-For the 2020 edition of the biannual Award, ten candidates submitted papers in innovative adhesion science, and the EURADH jury examined each one methodically for everything from scientific impacttopractical application. Each project needed demonstrated clear benefits to the circular economy, society and/or the industry.
The EURADH Jury agreed that the impact of Ms Arikan’s paper on the mechanism for good adhesion on a polymer surface is highly relevant for a multitude of applications and industries, and that her innovative and fundamental understanding of adhesion was particularly commendable.
Ms Arikan is a Research Associate and PhD student at the Universität der Bundeswehr München in cooperation with the Bundeswehr Research Institute for Materials, Fuels and Lubricants (WIWeB) in Germany. Her field of research is ‘Structural adhesive bonding of high performance thermoplastics’ and she submitted her dissertation this year. As a Research Associate, her field of research is ‘Technological, economic and ecological evaluation and optimisation of manufacturing process chains as well as the development of innovative manufacturing strategies for the production of fibre-reinforced composite structures’.
Completely replace screws, rivets and bolts
In an interview with the FEICA magazine “Connect”, Arikan recently stated: ”High-strength bonding creates connections designed to withstand high loads and forces in structuralapplications. In the best case scenario, adhesives can completely replace screws, rivets and bolts. Eliminating these connecting elements allows you to make, for example, lighter aircraft and consequently reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The phenomenon of adhesives is not yet fully understood, and I believe they are very important for both ecological and economic reasons. My entry for the AIA 2020 shows that adhesion is mainly determined by surface roughness and not by surface chemistry. This discovery will be highly relevant for many applications and industries.”
More information on adhesionaward.org.
