ASTM D5035 provides a testing procedure for determining the maximum force and elongation at maximum force of various textile fabrics using raveled strip and cut strip methods of testing. If required, the force and elongation at rupture are recorded as well. 

The raveled testing method is mainly applicable to woven fabrics, whereas the cut strip test is mainly applicable to nonwoven, dipped or coated fabrics, and felted fabrics. However, the methods from this testing procedure are not meant for knitted fabrics or others with high breaking elongation. It is important to review the full standard in order to fully understand the test setup, procedure, and results requirements.

As with most textiles testing, it is important to consider data rate when choosing a testing instrument. To consistently and accurately measure the tear strength of your material, it is important to remember that the data sampling rate needs to be high enough that the test peaks and troughs are adequately captured. We recommend Instron’s high tier 6800 Series systems due to their data capture rate of up to 5 kHz. For most textile fabrics testing to ASTM D5035, a single column frame is appropriate as the loads rarely go above 5 kN.

Specimens tested to ASTM D5035 are paired with adequate grips utilizing jaw faces that include a minimum width at least 10 mm wider than the width of the specimen with a minimum height of 25 mm. Though manual grips are acceptable, pneumatic side action grips are recommended due to their ease of use, high repeatability, and high throughput. Adjustable grip pressure also allows users to fine-tune the gripping pressure to avoid jaw breaks or slippage.

ASTM D5035 calls out utilizing smooth and flat jaw faces for testing, but this primarily depends on the material being tested. Rubber coated jaw faces are often the first choice, and in some cases where the fabric specimen is strong or slippery, serrated jaw faces may be more appropriate. The standard also calls out the ability to use extra padding material within the jaw faces such as paper or emery cloth as an additional way to help prevent slippage.