Medal winning athletes who competed in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy were assured of a grand entrance to the games’ official awards ceremony thanks to Araldite® adhesives from Huntsman Advanced Materials – one of the original bonding solutions for joining substrates including metal, plastic, composites and glass.
Successful Olympians competing at this year’s event were presented with medals at the Royal Palace of Turin, which is located at the heart of the Piedmontese capital. Entrance to the palace, which was constructed in the 17th century, is gained through a set of beautiful cast iron gates which were re-constructed at the beginning of the 20th century.
In 1996, a programme began to restore the palace and its grounds to their former glory. As part of the scheme, work on the gates was carried out by Novaria Restauri - an Italian specialist in the restoration of historical buildings. As the Novaria Restauri team began cleaning and redecorating the gates, they discovered several gaps in the intricate cast-iron design.
The team quickly decided that a tough gap-filling adhesive was needed to make the necessary repairs. After testing a number of products, Araldite® 2014 – a two-component epoxy adhesive – was chosen.
Mr Alessandro Segimiro, Restaurator and Technical Manager at Novaria Restauri explains more, “Each year the Royal Palace gates are exposed to seasonal extremes of weather. These significantly impact on the integrity of the cast-iron structure. Finding a tough adhesive filler to withstand temperatures at both ends of the thermometer was essential. It quickly became apparent that Araldite® 2014 was the best solution available. The benefits were clear from the start. Superior gap-filling and non-sagging qualities combined with resistance to water, chemicals and temperatures up to 120○c, delivered dual results – enabling us to fix the damage and preserve the aesthetic quality of the gate design.”
Once the adhesive had been applied to damaged areas, Novaria Restauri began redecorating the gates. Using Araldite® 2014, which is compatible with standard paints and protective coatings, the team achieved a high quality finish that was undetectable from the original design.
Doug Thompson, Global Marketing Manager, Adhesives at Huntsman Advanced Materials said, “For 60 years, adhesives from the Araldite® range have been used in construction, repair and restoration projects around the world. Araldite® 2014 is a key solution in our Araldite® 2000 portfolio and has a successful track record. We are delighted that it has contributed to the successful restoration of one of Italy’s most beautiful palaces.”
Araldite® 2014 is a high-strength, epoxy adhesive paste that cures at room-temperature. Demonstrating excellent environmental and chemical resistance, it is ideal for applications where elevated temperatures are likely to be encountered and is commonly used to bond metals, electronic components and GRP structures.