strengths of adhesive

It depends on the application, the surfaces, and what type of force is going to be applied (e.g, a direct pull off, or shear, or peel). The only real way is to run trials, although I'm sure someone will suggest these variables can be modelled.

Application: insulation of the copper tubes that used in air conditioning units

surfaces: Sheet metal

force:pull of, peel

Back in the late 80s I designed a testing machine for Scapa tapes or Sellotape as it was known then...

It basically pulled off tape from a test reel at different speeds and the force required was read off a large analogue meter...

The low speed at which the tape started to 'snatch' was noted as well as the speed at which the adhesive just started to pull away from the release side of the tape.

From this combination of information the quality controll guys could build up a picture of what exactly to look for and therefore to control in the production process....

At the end of the 90s I had a phone call from them from their new site asking me to check it out and calibrate it... After 15 years of operation and two address changes it was still working perfectly!!!

John.

I'm not an expert, but I would think the peel test data would be the most useful. I would think the easiest apparatus to build would have a standard surface on which the tape is attached and a clamp to catch the end of the tape. Connect this clamp to a force meter (see Mitutoyo) on a lead-screw and measure the max force for a set distance.

If you want to go cheap. weights, weight pan and pulleys would also do the trick.

The best way to resolve your problem may be to have a peel adhesion test done. However, unless you have the equipment available, its expensive. Second best would be to contact a tape company who sells industrial tape. They have staff experts who can recommend a tape for your application. They wont guarantee anything, but these guys tend to be very good at what they do.

You would need to tell them what the mating surfaces are (if you are making a two sided bond) and what the stresses are (continuous temperature, sheer forces, high and low temps, and how long you want the bond to last. Any contaminates which the bond may be exposed to are also critical to know (water, chemicals, etc.)

The easiest companies to start with would be 3M (Minnesota) and tesa tape (Charlotte, NC) or one of their industrial distributors.