Duct tape
 |
 | The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (November 2010) |
Duct tape, or duck tape, is cloth or scrim-backed pressure sensitive tape often sealed with polyethylene. It is very similar to gaffer tape but differs in that the former was designed to be cleanly removed, while duct tape is not. It is generally silver or black but also available in other colors. With a standard width of 1+7⁄8 inches (48 mm), duct tape was originally developed in 1942 during World War II as a water-resistant sealing tape for ammunition cases. Permacel, then a division of Johnson & Johnson, used a rubber-based adhesive to help the tape resist water and a fabric backing to add strength. It was also used to repair military equipment quickly, including jeeps, firearms, and aircraft because of these properties.
In military circles, this variant is known as "gun tape", typically olive-green, and is also known for its resistance to oils and greases. It is also called "duck tape", "riggers' tape", "hurricane tape", or "100-mph tape"[1][2]—a name that comes from the use of a specific variety of duct tape that was supposed to hold up to 100 mph (160.93 km/h) winds. The tape is named so because it was used during the Vietnam War to repair helicopter rotor blades, thus earning the name 100-MPH tape.[3]
Common uses
Duct tape is commonly used in situations that require a strong, flexible, very tacky tape. Some have a long-lasting adhesive and resistance to weathering.
A more specialized product, commonly known as gaffer tape, is preferred in entertainment circles, as it does not leave a sticky residue when removed. It comes in matte black, and is more easily torn into thin strips for precise application.
Duct tape, in its guise as "racer's tape", has been used in motorsports for more than 40 years to repair fiberglass bodywork. Racer's tape comes in a wide range of colors to help match it to common paint colors.[4] In the UK it is usually referred to as "tank tape" in motorsports use.[5]
Duct tape is not used for sealing ductwork. Building codes usually require a special fire resistant product, often with a foil backing and long lasting adhesive.
Usage in spaceflight
NASA engineers and astronauts have used duct tape in the course of their work, including in some emergency situations. One such usage occurred in 1970, when the square carbon dioxide filters from Apollo 13's failed command module had to be modified to fit round receptacles in the lunar module, which was being used as a lifeboat after an explosion en route to The Moon. A workaround was made using duct tape and other items on board Apollo 13, with the ground crew relaying directions to the spacecraft and its crew. The lunar module CO2 scrubbers started working again, saving the lives of the three astronauts on board.
Ed Smylie, who designed the scrubber modification in just two days, said later that he knew the problem was solvable when it was confirmed that duct tape was on the spacecraft: "I felt like we were home free", he said in 2005. "One thing a Southern boy will never say is, 'I don't think duct tape will fix it.'"[6]
Duct tape was also used aboard Apollo 17 to improvise a repair to a damaged fender on the lunar rover, preventing possible damage from the rooster tails of lunar dust as they drove.[7]
In a 2001 NASA manual for spaceflight operations aboard the International Space Station, duct tape is even called for in case of "acute psychosis" during a space mission; NASA procedures call for the use of duct tape to restrain the affected astronaut.[8]
Usage on ductwork
To provide lab data about which sealants and tapes last, and which are likely to fail, research was conducted at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Environmental Energy Technologies Division. Their major conclusion was that one should not use duct tape to seal ducts (specialty tapes are available for this purpose). (They defined duct tape as any fabric-based tape with rubber adhesive.) The testing done shows that under challenging but realistic conditions, duct tapes become brittle and may fail.[9] Commonly duct tape carries no safety certifications such as UL or Proposition 65, which means the tape may burn violently, producing toxic smoke; it may cause ingestion and contact toxicity; it can have irregular mechanical strength; and its adhesive may have low life expectancy. Its use in ducts has been prohibited by the state of California[10] and by building codes in most other places in the U.S. However, metalized and aluminum tapes used by professionals are still often called "duck/duct tapes".
Alternative uses
Duct tape's widespread popularity and multitude of uses has earned it a strong place in popular culture, and has inspired a vast number of creative and imaginative applications.
Duck Products, the manufacturer of Duck brand duct tape, annually sponsors a competition that offers a college scholarship to the person who creates the most stylish prom formal wear made from Duck Tape.
A medical study by Adam Doorn announced on major news networks on October 15, 2002, stated that application of duct tape can be used as an effective treatment for warts.[12] This treatment is often called by the name duck or duct tape occlusion therapy. A more recent study claimed to have cast doubt these findings, pointing out the original researchers didn't actually examine participants to determine if the warts were in fact gone, but instead phoned participants and asked.[13] In the 2006 study of 103 children [Haen et al.], duct tape did not perform significantly better than a placebo. This study compared clear duct tape, applied six nights a week to corn pad placebos, which were applied one night a week. In a study released in 2007, a study among older adults found duct tape helped only 21% of the time and was no better than moleskin, a cotton-tape bandage used to protect the skin. However, researchers used transparent duct tape that unlike the grey duct tape does not contain rubber. "Whether or not the standard type of duct tape is effective is up in the air," said Dr. Rachel Wenner of the University of Minnesota, who started the new study as a medical student. "Theoretically, the rubber adhesive could somehow stimulate the immune system or irritate the skin in a different manner."[14] The Wenner study was published in the March 2007 issue of Archives of Dermatology.
The Duct Tape Guys (Jim Berg and Tim Nyberg) as of 2005 have written seven books about duct tape. Their bestselling books have sold over 1.5 million copies and feature real and unusual uses of duct tape. In 1994 they coined the phrase, "It Ain't Broke, It Just Lacks Duct Tape". Added to that phrase in 1995 with the publication of their WD-40 Book was, "Two rules get you through life: If it's stuck and it's not supposed to be, WD-40 it. If it's not stuck and it's supposed to be, duct tape it". Their website features thousands of duct tape uses from people around the world ranging from fashions to auto repair. The combination of WD-40 and duct tape is sometimes referred to as The Redneck Repair Kit.
As a quick fix, duct tape can be used as a temporary bandage, until proper medical treatment and bandages can be applied to a wound.[15]
Recently, duct tape has proven the most effective fix to Apple's iPhone 4 dropped call issue, even over Apple's own rubber case.[16]
Etymology
The origin of the name of the product, "duck tape" or "duct tape", is the subject of some disagreement.
One view[who?] is that it was called "duck tape" by WWII soldiers either because it resembled strips of cotton duck or because the waterproof quality of the tape contributed to the name, by analogy to the water-shedding quality of a duck's plumage. Under this view, soldiers returning home from the war found uses for duck tape around the house where ductwork needed sealing. Other proponents of this view point to older references to non-adhesive cotton duck tape used in Venetian blinds, suggesting that the name was carried over to the adhesive product. The Oxford English Dictionary says that perhaps "duct tape" was originally "duck tape". This view is summarized most notably in a New York Times article by etymologist William Safire in March 2003. Safire cites use of the term "cotton duck tape" in a 1945 advertisement for surplus government property.[17] The Oxford English Dictionary gives a 1902 quotation for "100,000 yards of cotton duck tape" being used to protect the cables of the Brooklyn Bridge.[18] Thus a fabric duck tape was available to which an adhesive could have been added.
In any case, whether it is an error or a preservation of the original usage, the term "duct tape" is used for the product today.[19] Duck Tape is also a brand name for this product in some countries.
Different meaning in Australia and New Zealand
The term duct tape can lead to confusion between people more familiar with the North American usage of the term and those from regions such as Australia and New Zealand, where a completely different type of tape is sold as duct tape, as shown right. This duct tape is a 48 mm (1.9 in) wide PVC tape (usually silver in color) with no cloth backing and much weaker clear adhesive.[20] 3M sells a similar tape in the United States, calling it "Electrical Tape"[citation needed].
See also
Notes and references
- ^ Airlift Technologies supplier of tape under this name
- ^ The Medical NBC Battlebook USACHPPM Tech Guide 244 (May 2000) p 1.13
- ^ Vietnam Stories, Army Times (September 1993)
- ^ Racers Tape Products
- ^ Demon Tweeks website
- ^ Associated Press article, referring to the use of duct tape on Apollo 13.
- ^ "Lunar Dust and Duct Tape". Apod.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
- ^ Space Station's User Guide | SpaceRef See Specific Emergency Medical Procedures – Behavorial.
- ^ "Sealing HVAC Ducts: Use Anything But Duct Tape". Lawrence Berkeley National Lab Energy Performance of Buildings Group. 1998-08-17.
- ^ "California Energy Commission Title 24 of the Building Energy Efficiency Standards". Energy.ca.gov. Retrieved 2009-07-21. [dead link]
- ^ Rajan Menghani, Pranks of the past, present, The Daily Bruin, December 01, 2005.
- ^ "AAFP tips page". Aafp.org. 2003-02-01. Retrieved 2009-07-21. [dead link]
- ^ "Efficacy of Duct Tape vs Placebo in the Treatment of Verruca Vulgaris (Warts) in Primary School Children". Archpedi.ama-assn.org. 2006-11-01. doi:10.1001/archpedi.160.11.1121. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
- ^ "Study: Duct tape wart cure overstated". Usatoday.Com. 2007-03-19. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
- ^ "archive of defunct About.com Frugal Living Page on Duct Tape". Web.archive.org. 2006-04-29. Archived from the original on 2006-04-29. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
- ^ "iPhone duct tape fix". cnn.com. 2010-07-13. Retrieved 2010-07-13.
- ^ "The Way We Live Now: On Language; Why A Duck", New York Times, March 2, 2003. Retrieved April 17, 2008.
- ^ Brooklyn Daily Eagle 21 Nov 1902 Considering..that 100,000 yards of cotton duck tape must be wrapped around the cable with neatness and exactitude, it may be imagined that this method of cable preservation is quite expensive.
- ^ Contractor School Online. "Contractor School Online – Contractor Glossary of Terms". Contractorreferral.com. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
- ^ Constructing A Fibreglass Rapier accessdate=2007-12-05