Interfacial failure means the adhesive never bonded well to that surface. Common causes are oil, mold release, oxide, plasticizers, blush, low surface energy, missed primer or exceeded open time. Because the adhesive itself was stronger than its grip, the fix lies in surface preparation or adhesive selection, not in more adhesive. A shiny, bare surface with a clean print of the bead is the classic sign.
Bead peeled off the panel in one piece, clean metal underneath, that's adhesive failure. Who skipped the wipe?
When the bead comes away with a perfect mirror image of the surface on it, start the investigation at the cleaning step.
Also heard as
- interfacial failure
- AF
- adhesion failure
Related terms
Cohesive failure
A break that runs through the adhesive itself, leaving adhesive on both parts.
Pop-off
A part that lets go with a snap, leaving the adhesive cleanly on one side and nothing on the other.
IPA wipe
Cleaning a bonding surface with isopropyl alcohol on a lint-free wipe just before adhesive goes on.
Surface energy
A measure of how strongly a solid surface attracts liquids, which decides whether an adhesive can wet it.