A Comparison of Different Bursting Strength Test Standards: AATCC & ISO

 

Bursting strength is the property of a material and how it behaves when applied with water column pressure. In textiles, this testing method is applied on woven, non-woven, and knitted fabrics to measure the fabric’s strength against bursting. The testing standards are ISO 13938, and ASTM D3786.

In this article, we will compare different bursting strength test standards. Firstly, we will examine the bursting strength and why it is important in textiles.

What is Bursting Strength?

Bursting strength is the property of a material that resists rapture when it is applied under continuously increasing pressure.

Importance of Bursting Strength in Textiles

Suppose you are in a camp in a mountain area, where heavy rain comes, and the tent gets punctured. Then what will happen? It will not be a good experience for you, and you will never want to face such a condition.

To avoid such issues, manufacturers and quality assurance departments do the test of bursting strength. It is a test in which a material’s strength to resist puncture is tested.

Textile has a wide use case in our daily routine life, like in clothing, suits, airbags, upholstery, tents, and parachutes, so it is very important to perform this test to meet global textile testing standards.

ISO & AATCC Different Bursting Strength Test Standards

ISO which is known as the International Organization of Standardization gives the guidelines to measure the bursting strength of textiles below these standards.

• ISO 13938-1
• ISO 13938-2

Similarly, AATCC which is called the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists does not have the exact codes like ISO standards, but its relevant methods for bursting strength are given below.

• ASTM D 3786
• ASTM D 3787

ISO 13938-1 Hydraulic Bursting Strength Test

 

ISO 13938-1 Hydraulic Bursting Strength Tester

ISO 13938 – 1 determines how much hydraulic pressure a fabric can bear before rapture. The test elaborates on the fabric’s strength against increasing pressure without tearing. ISO bursting strength test is important to know the fabric quality and durability.

The ISO 13938 – 1 test deals with the hydraulic pressure on the fabric, which is exerted on the specimen through water or oil. Stress is gradually increased on the fabric sample to meet real-world conditions exactly.

Increasing pressure gradually gives accurate and efficient results for determining the fabric’s strength until it raptures. The rupturing point is carefully noted because we have to measure the maximum strength of the fabric to withstand without puncturing.

The test should be performed repeatedly until we get constant results. This test is used in apparel, textile, automotive, medical textile, home furnishing, and sportswear to check fabric durability.

The specialty textiles that require high bursting strength can be easily tested through a hydraulic bursting strength tester. This method is used for mostly woven and non-woven fabrics.

ISO 13938-2 Pneumatic Bursting Strength Test

ISO 13938-2 Pneumatic Bursting Strength Test

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ISO 13938 – 2 determines how much a fabric can bear pneumatic pressure through the diaphragm before the rapture. This test measures the fabric strength under pneumatic pressure to determine the specimen’s durability.

The ISO 13938 – 2 test deals with the pneumatic pressure exerted on a specimen using a diaphragm. The specimen is placed on a flexible and expandable surface called a diaphragm. A circular ring is used in the fabric pneumatic bursting tester to hold the specimen firmly.

The air pressure is gradually applied from below the diaphragm, which lifts the diaphragm and fabric specimen outward and stretches them. The pneumatic pressure is gradually increased until the fabric specimen bursts.

There are focused two main points. How much pressure does the specimen withstand, and what is the rupturing behavior? In what dimension does the sample tear? The test should be performed repeatedly until we get constant results.

This method is applied to knitted fabrics, woven & nonwoven, and laminated fabrics. The sample should be conditioned before testing.

It is observed by the experimentation that the hydraulic and pneumatic bursting test results are the same up to 800 KPa pressure. This method is typically suitable for knitted fabrics, which also helps to understand the recovery properties of stretchy fabrics.

ASTM D 3786 Diaphragm Bursting Strength Test

ASTM D 3786 Diaphragm Bursting Strength Test

The ASTM, known as the American Society for Testing and Materials, gives the guidelines for the bursting strength of textiles under the ASTM D 3786 standard.

This method measures fabric strength against puncturing using a hydraulic or pneumatic diaphragm bursting tester. It tests knitted, woven, non-woven, and industrial textiles. It is most suitable for knitted and stretch-woven fabrics.

For evaluation of the specimen’s strength against bursting, it is clamped over the flexible and expandable surface called the diaphragm. The diaphragm is pushed toward the outer surface, including the specimen, through fluid pressure until the specimen raptures.

The bursting strength is calculated by the difference of pressures required to inflate the diaphragm and rapture the specimen. This resulting pressure difference is called the bursting strength of the fabric.

The hydraulic tester uses 96% glycerin and the pneumatic tester uses gas or air for inflation. The results are stated in SI units or inch-pounds. The standard ASTM D 3786 – 80A is also known as Mullen’s bursting test.

ASTM D 3787 Ball Burst Test

ASTM D 3787 Ball Burst Test

The standard ASTM D 3787 is performed to measure the bursting strength of textiles and garments with a high degree of ultimate elongation. This test is done by a ball burst tester.

The testing specimen is placed between the circular grooved plates of the ball burst testing machine. The sample should not be stretched or under tension. After that, it is held firmly by the clamps to secure the specimen.

Select the test module from the software and start the test. Test conditions should be noted. Normally, it is done with a speed of 305 mm/min and a steel ball diameter of 25.4 mm.

Once you start the test, the steel ball moves toward the specimen with a constant rate of traverse (CRT) testing machine. The steel ball that is polished and hardened exerts a force on the specimen until the sample gets rapture.

The steel ball is attached to the machine with a fixed pendulum. The resulting values are stated in SI units or inch-pounds.

 Conclusion

International Organization of Standardization (ISO) gives two main standards ISO 13938-1 & ISO 13938-2 to identify the bursting strength of textiles. The American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) does not provide the exact standards like ISO.

However, the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) provides mainly two standards ASTM D 3786 & ASTM D 3787 to measure the bursting strength of textiles.

ISO 13938-1 is Hydraulic while ISO 13938-2 is a Pneumatic base test. On the other hand, ASTM D 3786 uses a diaphragm and ASTM D 3787 uses a ball to rapture the fabric specimen.

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