Greg,
Thermosets are not really my area, I picked up a bit of knowlege by cross fertilisation while at Bayer. The guy at the next desk sold thermoset PU.
My real area is thermoplastics.
I just accepted from the replies that bonding was benificial, but I did wonder why.
If the washer had the right amount of cupping to give enough restraint to radial expansion so as to prevent failure, but not so much so as to overly restrict compliance, the system should work without bonding.
I would think that it is a ballancing act to get it right, and if it was right, no bonding is necessary, nor desirable
Every shock I ever installed with this mounting system, including Beilstiens and Koni ajustables, had washers that were NOT BONDED.
I think the secret is in getting the right ballance between radii of the washers, projected areas of washers and bushes, duro and thickness of the bushes, but hey, I'm only a plastics technician, not a suspensions systems engineer.
Regards
pat