Overview
ISO 12947-3:1998 specifies a laboratory method for measuring the abrasion resistance of textile fabrics by the Martindale method using mass loss as the evaluation criterion. It applies to most textile fabrics including nonwovens (except when the specifier expects a deliberately low abrasion life). The procedure complements ISO 12947-1 (apparatus) and ISO 12947-2 (breakdown determination).
Key topics and technical requirements
- Principle: Circular fabric specimens are rubbed against a standard abradant in a translational Lissajous motion while the specimen holder rotates. Abrasion resistance is determined from the mass loss of specimens.
- Apparatus & materials: Uses the Martindale abrasion tester (see ISO 12947-1) plus a balance accurate to 1 mg. Standard abradant, felt underlay and foam backing dimensions are specified.
- Loading: Two nominal loading conditions are defined to represent different end uses (nominal pressures ~12 kPa and ~9 kPa).
- Specimens & dimensions:
- Test specimen diameter: 38 mm
- Abradant and felt substrate: at least 140 mm diameter (or length/width)
- Foam backing: 38 mm diameter where required
- Fabrics > 500 g/m² are usually tested without foam backing; pile and cord fabrics require special preparatory steps (Annex A).
- Conditioning & atmosphere: Standard textile atmosphere per ISO 139 (20 ± 2 °C, 65 ± 5 % RH).
- Test procedure:
- Sample selection and conditioning per ISO 2859-1 and ISO 12947 parts.
- Preselect rub-count intervals (Table 1) according to expected wear life (e.g., 100–125 000 rub cycles depending on category).
- After abrading, remove debris with a soft brush, recondition, and weigh to 1 mg to determine mass loss.
- Results & reporting: Calculate mean mass loss, standard deviation, confidence limits and variation coefficient. Produce a mass-loss vs. rub-count graph (abrasion index). Test reports must reference ISO 12947-3 and include specimen details, test series, preparatory treatments and any departures from the procedure.
Applications and users
ISO 12947-3 is used by:
- Textile manufacturers and converters for product development and durability benchmarking
- Quality control and inspection labs for acceptance testing of apparel, upholstery, workwear and technical textiles
- Specifiers and purchasers to define abrasion performance requirements in contracts
- Research and R&D teams comparing finishes, yarns or constructions
Common uses: product specification, supplier comparison, durability claims validation and failure analysis.
Related standards
- ISO 12947-1 - Martindale abrasion testing apparatus
- ISO 12947-2 - Determination of specimen breakdown
- ISO 12947-4 - Assessment of appearance change
- ISO 139 - Standard atmospheres for conditioning and testing
- ISO 2859-1 - Sampling procedures for inspection by attributes
Keywords: ISO 12947-3, Martindale method, abrasion resistance, mass loss, textile testing, fabric durability, Martindale abrasion tester.