Tensile testing of textiles applies to both natural and manmade materials, such as cotton, polyester, nylon, carbon, graphite, and glass. It also involves the testing of these materials in various forms, including single strands, threads, yarns, webbing, braided material, and woven fabrics. An important consideration with tensile testing of flexible materials, like textiles, is the movement of grips and clamping fixtures. When testing webbing or fabric type products, it is important to have free rotation at one of the grip mounts to ensure the grip are in the plane of the textile during the test. The majority of textile fabric tensile testing is performed as either a grab test, in an effort to eliminate edge effects, or a strip test, including edge effects. The grab test clamps a fabric sample in the center of the sample width using jaws smaller than the sample width. The strip test clamps a strip of fabric using jaws wider than the sample width. Both tests grip the specimen inside the ends of the sample length. ASTM and ISO specify test methods and requirements for the testing of textile materials. Due to the wide variety of textiles, a single tensile test method would not be able to address all the variations needed to properly test different textiles. Popular ASTM tensile testing standards for textiles are ASTM D751 for coated fabrics, ASTM D1683 for woven fabric seam failure, ASTM D4964 for elongation of elastic fabrics, ASTM D5034 for breaking strength of textile fabrics, ASTM D5035 for breaking force of textile fabrics, ASTM D6775 for breaking strength of webbing and braided materials, and ASTM D7269 for testing aramid or nylon yarns. Machines for textile tensile testing are typically low force, high elongation, constant rate of elongation or load table-top systems. ASTM D76 specifies the requirements of the most widely used tensile test machines, including constant rate of extension (CRE), constant rate of force and loading (CRL) machines. Test grips and fixtures must be determined by the specific type of textile being tested and, if the material is tested to a testing standard, the grip requirements will be described in the standard
Applicable Testing Standards
- ISO 13934 Test Machines for Grab and Strip Tests of Fabric
- ASTM D76 Tensile Textiles Test Machine
- ASTM D751 Coated Fabrics Rainwear Test Equipment
- ASTM D1683 Sewn Seams of Woven Fabric
- ASTM D4964 Tension and Elongation of Elastic Fabrics
- ASTM D5034 Grab Testing for Textile Fabrics
- ASTM D5035 Breaking Force and Elongation of Textile Fabrics by Strip Method
- ASTM D6775 Break Strength and Elongation Test Equipment for Textile Webbing, Tape and Braided Material
- ASTM D7269 Tensile Testing of Aramid Yarns
Recommended Test Machine
Forces up to 10 kN (2,250 lbf)
Low force tabletop systems
Modular series of five frame options with adjustable test space
Affordable testing option for tension, compression, bend, peel and much more
Forces up to 5 kN (1,125 lbf)
Low force tabletop systems
Tests at speeds up to 2,500 mm/min (100 in/min)
Best for high travel or high elongation test requirements
Force range of 5 kN to 600 kN (1,125 lbf to 135,000 lbf)
Adjustable test space
The most popular choice for static tension and compression tests
These dual column testers are available in both tabletop and floor standing models
Recommended Testing Accessories
Rated to 3.5 kN (790 lbf)
Clamping force up to 7.0 kN (1,600 lbf)
Consistent clamp force between tests
Quick and easy specimen setup for a wide variety of applications
Load rating of 15 kN (3,400 lbf)
Maximum specimen thickness of 16 mm (0.63 in)
Pneumatic design allows for quick specimen setup
Consistent clamping force between tests
Rated to 100 kN (22,500 lbf)
Great option for strapping, fabric strips, or similar specimens
Designed to resist specimen rupture at grip interface
Accommodates various specimen thicknesses and widths
Rated to 8 kN (1,800 lbf)
Clamping force up to 16 kN (3,600 lbf)
Maximum specimen thicknesses from 10 mm to 30 mm (0.39 in. to 1.2 in.)
Pneumatic actuation allows for quick and simple specimen setup
Rated to 1 kN (225 lbf)
Maximum specimen thicknesses from 10 mm to 50 mm (0.39 in. to 2.0 in.)
Simple design can be used for a multitude of tensile applications
Inexpensive and reliable