scope:

Note: Nothing in this standard supercedes applicable laws and regulations.

Note: In the event of conflict between the English and domestic language, the English language shall take precedence. 

Purpose. This standard provides the acceptance criteria and repair procedures for structural adhesives in automotive products for which GM is responsible for establishing or approving product design. This standard does not apply to hem flange or anti-flutter (semi-structural) adhesives. 

Applicability. This standard applies to any applications where a structural adhesive is used to bond metallic automotive substrates. The criteria established in this standard become mandatory when referenced in product release information. Deviations from any adhesive criteria provided in this standard must be identified in product release information or an approved Product Quality Standard (PQS) document. 

Usage. Structural bonds are considered satisfactory when they meet the performance requirements, defined in the material specification GMW15200 Metal Bonding Structural Adhesive Performance Requirements. Service loads on structures containing adhesive in a vehicle are varied in both type and magnitude and cannot be addressed by this standard. Therefore, while the adhesive quality criteria of this standard are consistent with service loading requirements, they have been established specifically for use in process and product monitoring. Any attempted application of this document to other uses, such as post-crash quality assessment, may lead to an erroneous result or conclusion. Discrepant adhesive applications may still contribute to the integrity of the assembly by retaining a portion of their engineering properties. 

Clarification. For clarification of this standard or editorial comments, email the GM Global Weld Council at: weld.council@gm.com.

Proposed changes to this standard must be presented to the Global Weld Council. To suggest a change to this standard, reference the "Procedure for Weld Standard Changes" on the Global Weld Council's web page.