Designation: D 3121 – 06

Standard Test Method for

Tack of Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives by Rolling Ball1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation D 3121; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.

1. Scope accelerate down the incline and roll on to a horizontal surface

1.1 This test method covers measurement of the compara- covered with a pressure-sensitive adhesive. Tack is determined
tive tack of pressure-sensitive adhesives by a rolling ball and is by measuring the distance that the ball travels across the
most appropriate for low-tack adhesives. This test method is adhesive before stopping. There are two major retarding forces
only one of several available for the measurement of tack. applied by the adhesive to the ball: (1) the adhesion between
1.1.1 This test method is not recommended for the specifi- the ball and the adhesive, often called “grab,” and (2) the
cation of end use products. “plowing effect” or energy required to push the adhesive out of
1.2 Values stated in either SI or inch-pound units are to be the ball’s path.
regarded separately as standard. The values stated in each 4.2 Test results are influenced by (1) adhesive film thick-
system may not be exact equivalents, therefore, each system ness, (2) bond of adhesive to backing, and (3) backing rigidity,
must be used independently without combining values in any so these factors must be carefully controlled for satisfactory
way. comparisons.
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the 5. Significance and Use
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro- 5.1 The rolling-ball tack test is fast, easy to run, and requires
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica- little investment in equipment and little operator training. This
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use. test is intended primarily for quality control use since it
demonstrates good reproducibility within a single laboratory
2. Referenced Documents and ability to detect batch-to-batch variations accurately if
2.1 ASTM Standards: 2 adhesive film thickness is held constant. Rolling ball tack is not
D 907 Terminology of Adhesives intended as an investigative tool since for most pressure
E 171 Specification for Standard Atmospheres for Condi- sensitive adhesive applications rolling ball tack results do not
tioning and Testing Flexible Barrier Materials correlate well with application tack requirements.
D 5750/D 5750M Guide for Width and Length of Pressure- 6. Apparatus (Fig. 1 and Fig. 2)
Sensitive Tape
6.1 Inclined Trough equipped with a release lever at the top
3. Terminology through which the ball gains downhill momentum. The ball is
3.1 Definitions—Many of the terms found in this test a 11 mm (7⁄16 in.) diameter steel ball unless otherwise specified.
method are defined in Terminology D 907. 7. Reagents
4. Summary of Test Method 7.1 Purity of Reagents—Reagent grade chemicals should be
4.1 In the determination of tack by the rolling-ball method, used in all tests. Other grades may be used, provided it is first
a steel ball is released at the top of an incline, allowed to ascertained that the reagent is of sufficiently high purity to
permit its use without lessening accuracy of the determination.
7.2 Solvents:
1
This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D14 on 7.2.1 Any of the following solvents may be used for
Adhesives and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D14.50 on Hot Melts, cleaning:
Pressure Sensitives, and Archival Adhesives.
Current edition approved March 1, 2006. Published April 2006. Originally 7.2.1.1 Diactone alcohol non-residual, technical grade or
approved in 1973. Last previous edition approved in 2005 as D 3121 – 05. better,
2
For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or 7.2.1.2 Methanol (95 %),
contact ASTM Customer Service at service@astm.org. For Annual Book of ASTM
Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on
7.2.1.3 Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK),
the ASTM website. 7.2.1.4 n-Heptane, or

Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.

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 D 3121 – 06
alternate solvent, either MEK or acetone. Do not touch cleaned
surfaces with fingers. The cleaned surface should be allowed to
dry at standard conditions for at least 10 min. If cleaned
apparatus is not used within 10 h, it should be recleaned.
NOTE 1—All operations with solvents should be conducted in a
well-ventilated hood.
10.3 Arrange the specimen to be tested, adhesive side up, in
line with the inclined trough. The specimen must be free of any
wrinkles, creases, or splices. The end of the specimen opposite
the incline shall be held to the table with tape or a weight.
FIG. 1 Adhesion Test Apparatus and Specimen Showing Distance
of Roll That is Measured
10.4 Prior to each roll of the ball, thoroughly clean the ball
in the same manner as the inclined trough, see 10.2, to remove
any possible adhesive residue. Allow to dry at standard
7.2.1.5 Acetone. conditions for at least 10 min. After cleaning do not touch the
7.2.2 Before selecting or using these solvents be sure to read ball or raceway. Use clean, dry tongs to place the ball on the
and follow all precautions on the chemical Material Safety upper side of the release.
Data Sheets (MSDS) and consult with Environment, Health, 10.5 Release the ball and allow it to roll to a stop on the
and Safety (EHS) professionals. adhesive.
7.3 Cleaning Material—Absorbent, surgical gauze, cotton 10.6 Measure the distance from the point where the ball
wool or tissue may be used. To be suitable, materials must be initially contacts the adhesive to where the ball is in contact
lint-free during use, absorbent, contain no additives that are when it stops.
soluble in the solvents listed in 7.2 and made exclusively from 10.7 Repeat procedure 10.4-10.6 at least four additional
virgin materials. times for each lot of adhesive to be tested (for a minimum of
8. Test Specimen five replicates.) Use a fresh specimen for each test.
8.1 The test specimen is a substrate coated with a pressure- 11. Report
sensitive adhesive. It is generally about 48 mm (2 in.)3 wide 11.1 Report the following information:
and approximately 380 mm (15 in.) long. Specific sample 11.1.1 Complete identification of the adhesive tested and the
dimensions can be selected for the adhesive to be tested since substrate on which it is coated including type, source, manu-
the length need only be sufficient to allow the adhesive to stop facturers’ code numbers, form, etc.,
the ball, and the width need be only wide enough to encompass 11.1.2 Method of preparing test specimens, especially the
the ball track. resultant thickness of adhesive and substrate,
11.1.3 Conditioning procedure used,
9. Conditioning
11.1.4 Conditions of testing area,
9.1 Before test, store the pressure-sensitive adhesive-coated 11.1.5 Number of specimens tested (five are recommended),
substrate at the selected test conditions for 24 h. If other 11.1.6 Maximum, minimum, and average value of rolling
conditions are not specified the storage and test conditions shall ball distance. Optionally, either all values or a standard
be 23 6 2°C (73 6 4°F) and 50 6 5 % relative humidity. deviation for the value may also be included, and
Details of these and other conditions are more fully described 11.1.7 Pertinent additional comments based on visual in-
in Specification E 171. spection such as noticeable residue on ball, lift of adhesive
from substrate, etc.
10. Procedure
10.1 Select a hard, horizontal surface of sufficient size to 12. Precision and Bias 4
conduct the test. Metal or glass plates have been satisfactorily 12.1 In tests of an identical series of pressure-sensitive tapes
used. in various laboratories this rolling-ball test has reproducibly
10.2 Prior to the tests of each lot of adhesive, dispense one arranged the samples from least to most tacky. Numerical
of the solvents listed in 7.2.1 onto the trough, wiping to dryness results on the same tape tested by different operators or in
with fresh absorbent cleaning material (see 7.3). Repeat for a different laboratories could vary by as much as 50 % (95 %
total of three washes. The final cleaning shall be with an confidence limits).
13. Keywords
3
This width corresponds to the primary metric (SI) units described in Guide 13.1 pressure-sensitive adhesives; rolling ball; tack
D 5750/D 5750M. These so-called “modular metric” units generally are used
throughout the world. If it is desirable to test slightly different widths, this should be
4
noted in accordance with 6.2 and calculations in accordance with 10.1 must account Supporting data have been filed at ASTM International Headquarters. Request
for the difference. RR: D14–1000.

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 D 3121 – 06

FIG. 2 Incline for Adhesion Test

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