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Identification and Comparison of Electrical Tapes Using Instrumental and Statistical Techniques: II. Organic Composition of the Tape Backing and Adhesive* |
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| Authors: | John V Goodpaster PhD Amanda B Sturdevant MS Kristen L Andrews BS Eileen M Briley MS Leanora Brun-Conti BS |
| Institution: | 1. Forensic and Investigative Sciences Program, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN.;2. Forensic Science Program, School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.;3. Forensic and Investigative Science Program, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV.;4. Department of Forensic Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA.;5. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Forensic Science Laboratory—Washington, Ammendale, MD. |
| Abstract: | Abstract: The microtexture and elemental composition of the backing of electrical tapes have been shown to be highly discriminating. In this study, the organic composition of electrical tape was evaluated as a complementary means of distinguishing tape brands. The backing and adhesive of 72 rolls of electrical tape were analyzed via Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR FTIR) and discriminant analysis was used to classify all samples by brand. Generally, the accuracy for FTIR data (88–99%) was higher than that for elemental data (86–94%). FTIR spectra from the adhesive layer were the most discriminating. In separate studies, two fragments of blast-damaged tape were correctly assigned to their brand of origin and discriminant analysis was used to quantitatively associate or exclude tape samples from two bombing cases. |
| Keywords: | forensic science explosives electrical tape infrared spectroscopy gas chromatography mass spectrometry agglomerative hierarchical clustering principal components analysis discriminant analysis |