Components of Duct Tape
Stagehands in theater have a habit of carrying around rolls of duct tape back stage because it's considered the "fix all" in a pinch. It can repair a torn flat, fix the ripped hem of a dress, or mend a table leg with ease, and because it comes in numerous colors, matching it to the item being repaired is a simple task. Yet, duct tape is commonly used in homes, by repair professionals, and throughout numerous industries as well for its strength and versatility. The components that give it these qualities also add to the tape's distinctiveness. Does this Spark an idea?
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Cotton Mesh
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A web of cotton mesh material is used on the back of duct tape. How strong the duct tape is depends on how tightly the web is constructed. This cotton web material allows you to tear the tape with ease when it's needed for quick repairs. It also causes some duct tapes to be more expensive than others. Duct tape with a tight cotton web backing is stronger and more durable, but more expensive to produce than duct tape with a looser cotton web backing.
Polyethylene
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Melted polyethylene coats the top of the cotton web material on duct tape. The polyethylene coating makes duct tape repel water. The polyethylene used is reinforced with fibers. These polyethylene fibers, in conjunction with the webbing and adhesive, result in duct tape brands that are anywhere from 7.7 to 12.6 mils thick.
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Adhesive
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Rubber and synthetic rubber compounds are used for the adhesive on duct tape. Because the rubber compounds are applied to the cotton webbing in multiple layers, the tape has a stronger adhesion to surfaces and a longer adhesion life.
Component Effects
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While both the thin 7.7 mil and the thicker 12.6 mil duct tape are effective in making repairs, either mil will form such a strong bond with the substrate that if it's removed it can leave a thick film. The thick film, a combination of the webbed backing and adhesive rubber compounds, can be difficult to remove on some surfaces and impossible to remove on others. The ability to remove the duct tape film depends on the type of material that it's attached to and the exposure that the film has had to certain elements, such as heat or rain.
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