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Fascination With Technology Tape Inspired by Japanese Cutting Art

From IVK | Translated by AI 2 min Reading Time

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In our "Fascination with Technology" section, we present impressive research and development projects to designers every week. Today: a tape inspired by the Japanese cutting art kirigami, which adheres strongly yet is easy to remove.

A research team led by Michael Bartlett from Virginia Tech has applied the principle of Japanese cutting art to tape by laser cutting a scale-like or honeycomb pattern made of rectangular shapes, reminiscent of an angular U, into the tape.(Image: Alex Parrish for Virginia Tech)
A research team led by Michael Bartlett from Virginia Tech has applied the principle of Japanese cutting art to tape by laser cutting a scale-like or honeycomb pattern made of rectangular shapes, reminiscent of an angular U, into the tape.
(Image: Alex Parrish for Virginia Tech)

The Japanese cutting art Kirigami is a centuries-old art form where paper is folded and cut to create three-dimensional objects. A research team led by Michael Bartlett from Virginia Tech applied this principle to adhesive tape by laser-cutting a scale-like or honeycomb pattern of rectangular shapes, somewhat reminiscent of an angular U, into the tape. Their investigations show that the pattern increases the adhesive force of the tape by 60 times when pulled in one direction. Meanwhile, the tape can be easily removed in the opposite direction without leaving traces. How can this be?

The Principle of Inverse Crack Propagation

The principle behind this is referred to by the researchers as reversed crack propagation—originally known from fracture mechanics. In detail, this means: An adhesive tape typically loses its adhesion as cracks form in the adhesive, for example, when subjected to tension. For the Kirigami tape, it's different: When pulled in one direction, the forces are concentrated on the narrow strips between the U-shapes. As a result, the direction of crack propagation reverses, and the tape adheres even more strongly. When pulled in the opposite direction, the adhesive strip easily detaches.

In the further course of their investigations, the researchers tested different types of tapes and found that the cut pattern increased the adhesive strength in all variants.

To demonstrate the performance of their innovative Kirigami tape, the researchers sealed one package with it and another with tape without a cut pattern. Then they dropped a brick from above onto each box. The box sealed with tape without a cut pattern broke on the second drop, while the one with the cut pattern remained intact even after the fifth drop.

The researchers' invention could represent an innovation in adhesive technology that could be useful for both industrial and private applications. Packages could be reliably sealed and later easily opened without damaging the box. This would allow for the multiple use of boxes or other reusable packaging, which is interesting in terms of sustainability.

The kirigami tape is an example of how an ancient art form can lead to a modern, technical innovation.

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