Duct tape doesn’t work on ducts, according to a scientific study. Of the 33 types of sealants tested, duct tape was the only one that failed reliably. Despite this, duct tape remains popular for other uses. It was developed by Johnson & Johnson during World War II and is sometimes called “duck tape”. The amount sold each year could wrap around the Earth more than a dozen times.
William Shakespeare’s famous Juliet asked, “What’s in a name?” to argue that it doesn’t matter what you call something: it is what it is. But Juliet never had to fix her air conditioning vents. If she had, she might have discovered what a scientific study found over 20 years ago: duct tape doesn’t work on ducts. In fact, according to test results done at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, of the 33 types of sealants tested on leaky joints on a joined duct wall, duct tape was the only one that “failed reliably and often in quite catastrophic way. The study included numerous varieties of duct tape, as well as materials such as aerosol-injected sealants and plain old clear tape. While duct tape came in last to seal leaky ducts, it remains a popular tool for a wide variety of other uses, from sealing bags and removing lint to killing warts and building your wallet.
The history of duct tape:
Duct tape was developed by Johnson & Johnson as a way to better seal ammunition packs and repair equipment during World War II.
Duct tape is sometimes called “duck tape” due to its ability to repel moisture, much like the feathers on a duck’s back.
The amount of duct tape sold each year could extend beyond the moon or wrap around the Earth more than a dozen times.
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