The initiation of tape peeling-induced paper delamination

The primary goal was to identify the processes leading to the delamination of paper when a pressure-sensitive adhesive tape is peeled from a paper surface. Paper delamination is characterized by a high initiation (peak) peel force and a lower steady-state peel force. Furthermore, the peak peel force is more than twice the steady delamination force for a broad range of paper properties. Microscopic observation of the peeling front revealed that paper delamination involved three sub-processes: the initial delamination of the top fibre layer from the paper sheet; the rupture of that delaminated top layer so it remained with the tape in peeling; and the continuous separation of the top fibre layer from the paper sheet in the steady-state peeling region. The peak peel force, a measure of the propensity of a paper to delaminate, increased linearly with internal bond strength and tensile strength of the paper.