used as an adhesive. The polymer was obtained in two different rolls
of uncoated polymer tape: VHB4905, of width 50 mm and thickness
0.5 mm, and VHB4910, of width 19 mm and thickness of 1 mm. The
adhesive tape was supported by a polymeric backing material to
avoid self-adhesion. Application of a vaseline gel removed tackiness,
allowing easy manipulation of samples. The material had the characteristics
of a viscous rubber; following deformation to strains of the
order of 500%, specimens were able to recover completely their initial
shape after sufficient time. The polymeric tape could be bonded
to itself easily; this allowed manufacturing of test specimens of
thickness greater than that of the tape, by stacking several layers
of tape material.