Elmendorf Tear Resistance Tester

Test and configuration

Measured output / function

Tear force derived from pendulum energy (N)

Parameters selected for the method

Pendulum range, specimen direction and initial slit

Verification points

Pendulum, friction loss and calibration weight

Listed methods are application references. Suitability is established by assessing the selected hardware, current method and calibration together.

Test parameters for the reviewed method

Values belong to the stated source edition. Test recipe, fixture and delivered instrument configuration are selected together.

ISO 13937-1 (earlier edition) · 6.2

• Jaw gap 3 ± 0.5 mm; initial slit 20 ± 0.5 mm; effective tear length 43 ± 0.5 mm.

ASTM D1424-96 · 6.3, 8.3, A1.4

• Elmendorf effective tear length 43.0 ± 0.15 mm; initial slit 20 mm. Adjustment check uses jaw gap 2.5 ± 0.25 mm. Usable scale range is 20-80% for standard apparatus and 20-60% for the high-capacity type.

ASTM D5734-95 (2001) · 6.5–6.6, 8.1

• For nonwoven Elmendorf testing, remaining tear distance is 43 ±0.15 mm and this edition's jaw-spacing gauge is 2.8 ±0.3 mm. Select 20–80% full scale for the standard-capacity instrument. Do not automatically copy D1424 settings.

ISO 9290:1990 · 5.1-5.2, 6.1

• Woven-fabric tear method: initial slit 20 ± 0.5 mm, propagated tear distance 43 ± 0.5 mm. Select the template and pendulum capacity for this edition; the method excludes nonwovens and knitted fabrics.

ASTM D689-03 · 5.3

• Paper tearing requires jaw depth 15.9 ± 0.1 mm and width at least 25 mm; pendulum-axis to jaw centreline distance 103 ± 0.1 mm. Do not equate the paper fixture with a fabric Elmendorf template; select ply count and capacity separately.

ISO 1974:2012 · 5.1.4-5.1.5

• Paper Elmendorf method: jaw gap 2.8 ± 0.3 mm, gripping depth 15 ± 1 mm and width 25 ± 1 or 36 ± 1 mm. Tear length after the slit 43.0 ± 0.5 mm. Verify paper geometry separately from fabric/coated-fabric kits.

ISO 4674-2:2021, corrected 2021-11 · 5.1

• Coated-fabric pendulum method: jaw gap 2.8 ± 0.3 mm; clamping-line to pendulum-axis distance 104 ± 1 mm at 27.5 ± 0.5° from vertical. Verify non-slip gripping and first-swing energy measurement. Do not assume equivalence to paper jaws.

Control and recording specification

The following are method-specific software/recording requirements; delivered software modules are defined by the order scope.

• Method code and edition, specimen ID, operator and selected test parameters are linked to the record.
• The calculation and endpoint are defined by the selected method edition; instrument signals and operator assessments are kept distinct.
• Raw measurements, units, valid/invalid test flags and the reported result remain traceable.
• Calculations are checked against known inputs and an independent calculation; sensor channels are checked against calibration values.
• For NF G07-149:1981, the AFNOR scope summary specifies a low-capacity 5–10 daN pendulum class and results within 15–85% of the selected full scale. Not every model pendulum belongs to this class; verify pendulum, calibration for the specific torn length and specimen die separately. This is a publisher scope note only: the standard body/apparatus clauses remain unavailable and ISO 13937-1 geometry is not automatically equivalent.

Historical method references (current method and fixture require separate review): ASTM D5734, BS 4253, BS 4468, DIN 53862, ISO 9290, NF G07-149