SPECS BROS., LLC
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PRESERVATION
EFFECTS OF
TEMPERATURE ON TAPE

Picture

EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE

Temperature has three basic effects on magnetic tape.  It can impact the physical dimension of tape, the speed at which the binder decays and the lubricants.
 
Tape expands and contracts with temperature.  Even though tape can be thousands of feet long and only a very small fraction of an inch thick, the primary vector of expansion is thickness.  As tape gets hotter, the tape gets thicker and tightens the pack.  This can cause stretching.  As tape gets colder, it gets thinner and loosens the pack.  This can result in tape slippage, folding and cinching.
 
While the primary expansion/contraction vector is thickness, temperature changes do affect the length and width of the tape.  With helical scan tapes, this can cause mistracking.
 
The different layers of magnetic tape also expand at different rates.  Frequent changes in temperature can loosen the bond between the binder layer that contains the magnetic recording and the base sufficiently to cause separation.
 
Elevated temperature also accelerates chemical reactions.  In the presence of sufficient moisture to cause hydrolytic decay, hydrolysis will be more severe and will occur more quickly at higher temperatures.
 
Temperatures above 140oF will cause changes in the tape structure that are visible under an electron microscope.  Temperatures above 160oF can cause tape deformation that is visible to the naked eye.
 
Exposure to cold also affects magnetic tapes. Below approximately 46oF, lubricants incorporated into the tape binder can crystallize and migrate to the surface of the tape.  For this reason, tapes should be stored above 48o F and never frozen!

 
 
 

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  • Home
  • About Us
    • About Us History
    • About Us Clients
    • About Us Client Comments
  • Archival Transfer
    • Archival Transfer Basics
    • Archival Transfer Getting Started
    • Archival Transfer Commercial Services
    • Archival Transfer Consumer Services
  • Disaster Recovery
    • Disaster Recovery Services
    • Disaster Recovery Emergency Response
    • Disaster Recovery Magnetic Tapes Can Survive Flood Exposure
    • Disaster Recovery Institutional Disaster Response For Magnetic Tape Materials
    • Disaster Recovery Images of Flood Damaged Tapes
  • White Papers
    • White Paper: Basic Material Identification of Legacy Tapes In An Archive
    • White Paper: Basic Inspection Techniques To Sample The Condition of Magnetic Tape
    • White Paper: Dangers of Inadequate Restoration
    • White Paper: The Benefits of Tape Cleaning
    • White Paper: Common Signs of ​Problem 3/4" and Beta Videocassettes
  • Preservation
    • Preservation Basics
    • Preservation Tape Endangerment Issues
    • Preservation Minimum Tape Handling Standards
    • Preservation Effects of Moisture On Tape
    • Preservation Effects of Temperature On Tape
    • Preservation Legacy Tape Timeline
    • Preservation Video Tape Proliferation Until 2000
    • Preservation History of Tape Obsolescence
    • Preservation Standards and Recommended Practices in Print
    • Preservation FAQs
  • Contact Us