Overview
ISO 4674-1:2016 - "Rubber- or plastics-coated fabrics - Determination of tear resistance - Part 1: Constant rate of tear methods" defines laboratory methods for measuring the force required to initiate and propagate an initiated tear in coated fabrics using a constant-rate tensile test. It specifies two test geometries: Method A (tongue or double‑tear) and Method B (trouser or single‑tear), and gives requirements for apparatus, conditioning, wet testing and result evaluation.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Two test methods
- Method A - Tongue tear: test pieces 200 mm × 150 mm with a 100 mm × 50 mm tongue; lines and end-of-tear marks are specified to control tear length and location.
- Method B - Trouser tear: trouser‑shaped specimens (normal and wide‑width options in Annex B) for single‑leg tearing.
- Apparatus
- Constant‑rate-of‑extension tensile testing machine that complies with ISO 1421.
- Tear forces recorded by an autographic recorder or by data‑acquisition systems (standard specifies a minimum data collection frequency).
- Clamping device dimensions defined to avoid slippage and ensure correct alignment.
- Test parameters
- Typical jaw separation 100 mm and traverse rate (100 ± 10) mm/min; tests are stopped after a defined torn length (e.g., 60 mm in Method A).
- Wet testing procedure: 24 h immersion (water, optionally with ≤0.1% surfactant), rinse and test immediately.
- Conditioning and timing
- Conditioning atmospheres referenced to ISO 2231 and minimum conditioning times (e.g., 16–24 h depending on coating).
- Minimum interval between manufacture and testing (16 h); maximum intervals for comparability and product testing are specified.
- Result evaluation
- Procedures for manual and electronic evaluation of tear traces, peak selection and averaging; criteria for rejecting tests (slippage, delamination, off‑axis tear).
Applications and users
ISO 4674-1 is used to:
- Characterize tear resistance of rubber- or plastics-coated textiles for covers, tarpaulins, inflatable products, protective clothing and technical fabrics.
- Compare materials, support quality control, supplier specifications and product development.
Primary users:
- Test laboratories and quality departments in textile/coating manufacturing.
- Product engineers and R&D teams assessing coated fabric durability.
- Specifiers and purchasers who require standardized tear‑resistance data.
Related standards
- ISO 4674-2 - Ballistic pendulum method (dynamic tear)
- ISO 1421 - Tensile testing of coated fabrics
- ISO 2231 - Standard atmospheres for conditioning/testing
- ISO 2286-1 - Roll characteristics sampling
- ISO 2602 - Statistical interpretation of test results
ISO 4674-1:2016 provides repeatable, comparable procedures for assessing initiated tear behaviour of coated fabrics-essential for material selection, specification and quality assurance.