New sculptures in Spain will feature pioneering glue that withstands high temperatures

The new 'Metropolis Parasol' sculptures in Seville's Plaza de la Encarnacion in Spain will be held together by a glue that has been specifically engineered not to melt in the sweltering Andalucian heat, which can sometimes reach up to sixty degrees.

The mushroom-like parasols will incorporate several pioneering construction techniques, with the load-bearing components being made of finely-wrought, laminated veneer lumber beams. For structural reasons, the parasols cannot be constructed with bolts or other metal rods. However, a solution has been developed using threaded rods that will be glued in place using an adhesive created by the Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research.

“Once the components have been glued in place, they are heated up again,” explains Dirk Kruse, head of the research department. “This causes post-curing reactions to occur.” When this happens, as the developers discovered, the glue is less likely to take on a liquid form again, retaining its stability up to a temperature of around seventy degrees.

The discovery opens new doors for the use of adhesive for large-scale structural applications in the construction industry.

For more information on the research, contact Dirk Kruse at dirk.kruse@wki.fraunhofer.de

Published: Monday, 18th January 2010 by Tom Freeman

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