Abstract
This is a continuation of an earlier study on the adhesive properties of neoprene–phenolic resin blends. The phenolic resin used is derived from a mixture of phenol and cardanol, a renewable resource. Having established the utility of cardanol for formulating adhesives, this study investigates the effect of varying the phenol: cardanol ratio in the formulation. The effect of varying the total resin content at various phenol/cardanol ratios is also studied. It is found that a phenol/cardanol ratio of 80:20 is optimum for shear strength of aluminum–aluminum bonds, while a 60:40 ratio is the best for peel properties. For SBR–SBR and SBR–Al bonds, a 60:40 ratio is optimum for both peel as well as shear strength. Further, an 80 phr total resin content in the primer and a 40 phr resin content in the adhesive are found to give the best shear and peel strengths for SBR–Al bonds. The study reveals that the copolymer based on phenol, cardanol and formaldehyde is a better choice for the resin than either of the individual condensation products of phenol or cardanol with formaldehyde.