An Evaluation of Acrylic Pressure Sensitive Adhesive Tapes for Bonding Wood in Building Construction Applications

• Published in: Journal of adhesion science and technology 2012-06, Vol.26 (10-11), p.1349-1381
• Main Authors: Jacobs V, William P., Daniel Dolan, J., Dillard, David A., Ohanehi, Donatus C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: acrylic foam tape; Adhesion tests; adhesive and nail joints; Adhesive bonding; Adhesives; application pressure; Aseismic buildings; Building codes; Earthquake construction; Earthquake damage; Failure modes; Fasteners; hurricane loading; Hurricanes; Intrusion; Plywood; Pressure sensitive adhesive tape; Priming; PSA tape; Sanding; Sealing; Seismic engineering; seismic loading; Shear walls; Sheathing; sheathing attachment; Statistical methods; Tapes (data media); Water damage; wood bonding; wood connections; Wood construction; Wood products
• ISSN: 0169-4243; 1568-5616
• DOI: 10.1163/156856111X618254

Wood connections made with high-performance pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) tapes have significant promise for mitigating damage in buildings under high wind or seismic conditions. Benefits may include improved joint ductility and sealing protection from water-intrusion damage from hurricanes. In this work a series of connection tests were performed primarily on acrylic PSA tapes in accordance with ASTM D 1761-88 (2000). Performance results for PSA tape/wood joints are presented and trends examined for comparisons of commercial PSA tapes from three manufacturers. The results also provided implementation data on required application pressure levels and time duration, and comparisons with adhesive connection types. Specific parameters were discussed and examined using statistical methods to quantitatively determine performance gains or losses. The variables investigated included the use of oriented strand board (OSB) versus plywood sheathing, the effect of priming and surface sanding on adhesion, and a comparison of connections involving mechanical fasteners with those that utilized only adhesive tape or a combination of the two. Properly bonded OSB and plywood connections provided fairly ductile failure modes. The overall results of the study suggest that the International Building Code (IBC) ban on construction adhesives for shear walls in high seismic zones could be lifted for high-performance acrylic PSA tapes.