I would recommend you use our pnuematic horn grips with smooth metal surfaces. Other jaw face surfaces will cause premature breaking (see BS EN ISO 2062;1995). Remember you will need to adjust the operating airpressure for the type Tex/breaking force of the yarn you wish to test.

Hi Sylvia, I'm testing Kevlar yarn and I'm getting jaw breaks, what gripping solution can you recommend?

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Good afternoon David, what type of fishing line do you wish to test? Is it spun textile, monofiliament or wire? How big of a fish are you trying to catch?

Hi Sylvia, what grips would you recommend to test fishing line?

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I would always select pneumatic grips in preference to manual for testing textile specimens. They allow you to load up the specimens correctly whilst closing the jaws. Gripping pressure can be adjusted for the type of specimen you're testing, minimise jaw breaks and remove slippage issues. More importantly you will speed up testing, prevent specimen wastage and ultimately save time and money. If want to know more please contact the team at SDL Atlas.

I have manual vice grips on my tensile testing machine. A colleague says pneumatic grips are better and easier to use, is this true and how can I get more information?

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* When using Z value for M&S P115B and P115C don't forget you must enter the minimum performance requirement set by the Retailer (usually 6.0 kgf)into the the limits field. The software can't work out the Z Value for M&S without it. You will find this in the Miscellaneous Field below the comments box; so just key it in the lower limit box. * Also when you go onto start testing you can also switch on the Pass/Fail box by clicking on View and selecting Pass/Fail from the drop down menu. By doing this it will warn you if any specimen has failed. * Before you print off your results check in Report wizard: Reporting - check that the limits box is ticked as a default. In -Statistics make sure you've requested Z value. * Close down and Print your report. You should see clearly what lower limit you have set above your results column and any failures will be high lighted in RED plus an asteris for those who do not have a colour printer. If you need to know more email me your name and contact number and I will be happy to give you further advise.

Z value "Useful technical Alert"

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In many of the software routines used for the testing stretch fabrics we leave the extension range open for the technician to input when they are setting up the test in the settings field. It is important though that you do set a realistic number for the fabric under test, not just enter the maximum allowable. If you get into this bad practise the software may have difficulties when it comes to re-scale on the completion of the first specimen. Our M-series machine users with Qmat Pro must take particular care of this testing by direction with the maximum extension first.

Extension limits elstaic fabrics

20

Using worn or damaged rubber faced jaws can have adverse effect on your results when testing fabrics, from experience for grab tensile and fabric slippage it could lower your results by 2-3kgf when your expected breaking force is only 20 kgf that's a high %. Get into good habits, check the jaw faces before you insert them into your grips, then check the grips are opening and closing fully. Fabric testing can generate a lot of loose fibre, this can sometimes clogg up the grips, so clean down the grips and machine after use. Lastly bleed the relief valve in your air supply at least weekly. Any problems contact your local SDL Atlas Agent for advise. They can re-face jaws for you or advise the correct process to perform this in your laboratory.

Jaw faces maintenance what do you reccomend and do the jaw faces effect reults

19

Water-proofness - there are several methods and types of equipment that are available for evaluating this property of a fabric, selection will depend on the final end use of the fabric. eg. BS EN 2081 calls up the use of a Hydrostatic Head Tester Breathability – is a method for evaluating the Water Vapour Permeability through a fabric again there are several methods available dependent on the final end use of the fabric you wish to test eg. BS 7209, (don’t confuse this with Air Permeability). A lot of fabrics used for high performance garments need to exhibit all three characteristics. The above properties above of fabrics would come under a general grouping of High Performance Fabrics. These are made by a combination of the fabric construction (woven, non-woven or knitted) and fibre blends. These will then be finished using a variety of finishing processes again depending on the fabric type and the required properties and end use. I am unable to give you specific specialist advice; you need to get that from your finisher or a chemical supplier. Contact SDL Atlas for your test equipment needs, they supply a range of equipment for evaluating Water-proofness, Breathability or Air Permeability.

how are waterproof/breathable finishes applyed to fabric and then what are the methods of testing the fabrics?

17

You do not say which of our pneumatic specimen holders you have; as we make a very wide range of pneumatic grips you need to be more specific and tell us what type of fibres you wish to test. -If you are want to test in accordance with ISO 5079 you will require a low range load cell (5 N, 10 N or 25 N depending on the fibre tenacity), we also make grips designed specifically for fibre testing both for elastane and non elastane fibres, which I would recommend for use with the above load cells. -You will also need to check the machine is not picking up any vibration that may be transmitted through the bench that the machine is mounted on from other local equipment e.g. Pilling boxes, Abrasion machines and blowers from the air-conditioning units may also give you problems when mounting the specimens in the grips. -You may also need to look at specialist methods of pre-mounting the fibres prior to testing especially when testing Carbon Fibres. - When testing the very fine dtex elastane fibres you may need to mount the load cell in the base of the test machine on an anti vibration pad that we supply.

I am Lab Manager with Hounsfield tensile testing machine. I want to start testing fibre ISO 5079 and have flat faced pneumatic specimen holders\clamps. Can I use these for testing fibre and do you have any recommended good practice?

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Thank you for the additional information. You now need to look at what load cells you have available. Try the 10 N load cell first this should give you satisfactory results; your results should be within 10% and 90 % of the working range of the load cell to get best results. Its best practice to do some trial tests before commencing your main testing to adjust to the correct gripping pressure - To low and you get slippage - To high you will get jaw breaks. If you need any further help you will need to send me c/o our office in the UK, a print out including the graph of your results taken from your machine plus a sample of the fibre you are want to test

Thank you for your help. Re your questions I have flat faced very light weight pneumatic jaws. I am looking to test high tenacity nylon

10

The ability to perform cyclic testing on a static testing machine depends on the machine's maximum speed, the compliance of the specimen and the type of test. Most static machines are capable of low frequency tension or compression cyclic tests at a moderate rate of several Hz when testing stiff specimens. I understand you manufacturer high performance elastic fabrics, a good software platform such as Tinius Olsen’s QMat for textiles comes as standard with a number of pre written cyclic tests conforming to specific Retailer and International testing standards, no additional hardware or software is required. For example BS EN 14704-1 Determination of the elasticity of fabrics specifies a cyclic speed of 500 mm/min for knits and only 100 mm/min for wovens. When testing stretch fabrics I would not recommend that you use speeds in access of 500 mm/min for this area of testing. The speed should be determined by the end use of the product and/or what is specified in a specific method speed can affect the final results extracted by software, so always be led by the method you need to test by.

: I want to perform cyclic testing on my static testing machine. How fast can I go?

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I cannot give you individual figures here as they vary according to the fibre type. Moisture Regain in standard atmosphere - The mass of water in any form which a material contains when , after preconditioning, it comes to equilibrium with the standard atmosphere, determined using prescribed methods and expressed as a percentage of the mass of the dried material.(see Textile Terms and Definitions). Moisture Regain Factors of specific fibres can be found in EU Directive 96/73/EC and the American FTC Regulations for the labelling of Textile products. These factors are used when carrying out Quantitative Analysis for Fibre Content. I would recommend that you contact SDL Atlas for further information on suitable equipment testing the moisture content of a material.

what are the moisture allowances for the fibers?? on factors it depends\

13

It is common for lab managers to create a test procedure that requires the operator to zero or some call it “Balance” or “Tare off” a load cell before the start of a new batch of tests, others insist on zeroing the load cell before every specimen. I believe that either procedure is acceptable, as long as one rule is followed: never zero the load cell with a specimen in the grips. Tinius Olsen load cells are very sensitive and can detect a change in load as a result of gripping the specimen. If the load is zeroed after a specimen is gripped, you risk zeroing off part of the ultimate tensile load. This initial load will be subtracted from (or added to) reported results and can falsely increase or decrease actual values (depending on whether or not there was a compressive or tensile load on the specimen before the load cell was zeroed). If you notice this change on the load channel display after gripping, operators have the option of using automated software features, such as preload (see the software help files for more information) or can manually adjust the position of the crosshead.

Dear Mrs Hillier I am the Lab Manager at Khan textiles Pakistan. Regarding my tensile strength tester when and how many times a day should I tare off my force display which displays the force load cell readings on my software and the LCD display on my tes

17

In order to carry out dimensional stability washes and calculate % shrinkage I would refer you to the following standards. BS EN ISO 3759;1995, BS EN 25077, BS EN ISO 6330;2001 for International Testing and AATCC 135 for American Testing. If you require any information regarding washing equipment quoted in these methods please contact SDL ATLAS through their website http://www.sdlatlas.com

what are testing procedures and procedures to calculate the shirinkage of 100% cotton fabrics ( knitted and woven) ?

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Hi, whilst I am not a sewing/making up technologist here are a few pointers they may help you on you quest: - BS 3870 part1 and 2 refer to all classifications of stitch and seam types. - BS EN ISO 13935 and 13936 series of standards refer to the testing of woven fabric seams plus ASTM D434 and ASTM D1683; AATCC TS015 is a method for evaluating knitted seams. - You need to look at the end of product the seam is required for rather than a specific machine for knits or woven’s. This will then allow a machine specialist recommend which machine you require for the job. Also note for knits and fabrics containing an elastane you should consider using Ball Point needles rather than a Sharp Point If you require any further help with the testing of seams in textile products I will be more than happy to help you.

what are the differences between woven fabric sewing machines and knitted fabric sewing machines?

16

You don’t say whether you want to test for the American market or against International Standards. In general terms you will find all the colourfastness tests you need in the current BS EN ISO 105 series of colourfastness tests or in the current AATCC manual for methods of tests. Key tests you must test for are washing, water, perspiration, rubbing possibly light. All the other tests will depend on the final end of the fabric. All your needs to perform colourfastness testing can be obtained through SDL-Atlas (including standards). If you want a colourfastness training course I suggest you contact the Society of Dyers and Colourists in Bradford (UK)for BS EN ISO or the AATCC if want to test to American standards. Please note that most Retailers list the tests required against an end use specification and they may also have their own specific tests methods.

what are the different tests for fastness properties of dyed fabric?

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As I am not an expert in the fundimetals of of these 2 spinning processes I am unable to answer this fully as I would wish. I would recommend that you contact the Textile Department at your local university or a Manuafacturer of Spinning Equipment to get a detailed explanation of the differences between them.

what are the differences in physical properties of ring spun yarn and yarn from an open end spinning machine (rotor spinning)?

10

Testing of Textile fibres – Tinius Olsen make a range of machines and grips that may be suitable for testing your fibres. If you would like to send a sample of the fibres and any other products you wish to test to me at our office in Redhill including details of any specific methods you may need to test against, I will happy to make some preliminary tests for you. Then I will arrange for one of the Team at SDL Atlas in the UK to contact you with our recommendations for the most suitable combination of machine and grips and their local agent.

We are producing yarn from pineapple leaf fibre and wish to test our quality in relation to other fibres, can you help with advising on the type of equipment we would require and where we can purchase this equipment for our laboratory?

9

LYCRA® is a registered trademark of INVISTA for premium stretch fibers and fabrics. If you require information in relationship to this fibre or other fibres made by INVISTA (formerly Du Pont de Nemours) you will need to contact one of their Technical Research Laboratories. There is a European Technical Centre in Meyrin, Geneva who may be able to help you with the information you require.

i need an international shrinkage standrd in lycra

18

Hi Joyce, Your question is very general so it makes it difficult for me to answer you. Here are some methods of test for %shringkage to Laudering AATCC 135-2004; BS EN 25077-1994; BS EN ISO 3759-1995; BS EN ISO 6330-2001. You can get obtain all the equipment and consumeables required for carrying out these tests from SDL-Atlas. Most Retailers quote their own performance standards for % shrinkage which will depend on the fibre content and enduse.

shrinkage standard of knits fabric

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Again I can't be specific you would need to look at individual Retailer Specification Manauals. Generally speaking you are looking at +/- 10% for interlock and ribs; with +/- 7%; for other constructions of knitted fabric going into Tee-shirts, dresses and leggings. Others have a general requirement +3/-5% for wefts knits. If you look at the ASTM methods you may find some general specifications for knits not sure of the standard number

i have a fbrc which is 95%ctn 5% elasthan , so i want a standard list of shrinkage which is acceptble internally

10

I do have a several manuals from Key American and European Retailers, however because of confidientiality I am not in a position to pass them onto a third party. In order to obtain such manuals you must make direct contact with their relevant Technologists. The figures I gave you were just a general guideline each company will vary slightly depending on thier quality requirements for the style and end use of each garment.

due u have a stanadrd (manual) where i can find this and internally world wide authentic -/+10% in rib and -7% in interlock

8

I would recommend that you contact the 'Colour Museum' based in Bradford, United Kingdom. This is ran by the Society of Dyers and Colourists situated on the same site. they do run a range of courses relating to the colour industry from this site. The Museum is will worth a visit if you are in the area. www.sdc.org.uk

Is there a source that can provide an educational laboratory with fabric samples that exhibit examples of Matemerism and color matching?

4

I am very sorry I do not have a direct contact for this supplier. I would recommend you contact the local business registration for the area you wish to source the product from. They should be able to give you this if not ask Google.

could you send the pineapple leaf fibre or yarn of fabric supplier particulary Tamilnadu

8

When it comes to Toy Testing for the European market you need to look at compliance with the latest version of EN 71. This standard is made up of several parts covering all aspects of toy testing. Here at Tinius Olsen we make tensile and compression testing machines which are used by the leading Test Houses when evaluating the strength of toys and other products that may have play value. We make specialist grips that can be fitted onto our machines for measuring the pull off force and the separation force of magnets, or for any other small components that are deemed grippable by the requirements of this standard. Magnetic catches are used in so many ways for closing or joining items, we must make sure whilst being ‘fit for purpose’ they were designed for, they are also safe when small children are around. Small children will pick them up? If they become detached from the item the first thing they do is a mouth test. If you want any further advice please contact the Team at Tinius Olsen direct and we will be more than happy to advise what machine and grips you need for your products.

Hi Sylvia, I notice that Tinius Olsen machines have been used for testing toys in the past. With the recent news stories of companies having to recall millions of products due to safety concerns. Can you let me know what kind of tests can be done, and are

11

There are two key tests you will need to look at when testing yarn quality -Imperfections for which you would use a Classimat made by Uster, I'm not sure if any body else makes similar equipment. - Tensile tester to look at the strength and elongation (BS EN ISO 2062), here at Tinius Olsen we are able supply all the equipment required to perform these tests. If you wish to send in samples of your yarn we can recommend the best grips and machine for the job. Alternatively if you want advise on all the equipment available for yarn testing I would recommend that you contact your local SDL- ATLAS Agent who will be able to give a quote.

How to test the qualiy and strength of Acrylic yarn

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I am not sure exactly what you are asking for, Tinius Olsen can provide tensile testing equipment for measuring the tenacity of yarns in accordance with BS EN ISO 2062; 1995 and I will be happy to help you further with the area of yarn testing. If you want to carry out Continuous yarn testing from a package you would need to contact Uster, Textest or Brustio who make this type of equipment. Your loom manufacturer should be able to give you an indication of the maximum tension applied to a yarn during the weft insertion process and if there is any device they recommend for monitoring this tension.

Regarded Mam, I am Muhammad Imran Arain from Pakistan. Please provide help for coorelating "Spun Yarn" Minimum Tenacity (cN/tex) and Testing Maximum Tension on "Weft Yarn" during Insertion at Airjet Loom for Advanced Calculations for Simulation of Wea

7

The colourfastness test to Saliva is based on DIN V 53160-1 which is a test for toys. Mothercare and other Retailers also us it for a contact staining test for textile fabric and trims going into Babywear. I am not sure of the extact chemicals and quantities required from memmory. I do know that Intertek Testing Services perform this test for their clients and may be able to help you. May I suggest that you contact the Hong Knog operation for further information.

Hi Sylvia, I want to get some information about colour fastness to saliva. CAn you help me find the chemicals and the method for this test? Thanks.

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I can not give you an answer myself but I would recommend that you contact the Society of Dyers and Colourists in Bradford. I am told they have a definative method for this.

After Dyeing how can i identify Reactive Dyed Fabric and Sulpher Dyed Fabric ?

15

Not enough information is given for me to estabilish what guidence you need eg fibre/fabric type/enduse and the process applied to the fabric. However it is not possible to improve the fabric strength after it has been dyed and finished; you could look at modifying the process to minimise the loss in strength.

The Strength of my finished fabric is not Enough. How can I improve it's strenfth?

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You need to contact SDLALTAS in the UK who will be able supply specimen preparation equipment and knives.

Hi Sylvia i want to know from whom i can get sample cutter for baumann tear

2

You need to email you request to this address: service-uk@SDLATLAS.com

I am a student in textile field and want to know about the standard resistance determination of Togmeter calibration. I have calibration fabric (blue fleec fabric) from SDL atlas. I would like to know how to calibrate the togmeter using the calibration fa

1

You need to email your request to this address: service-uk@SDLATLAS.com

Hi Sylvia, I would like to have information about Elmendorf tear strength testing. I have SDL Elmendorf Pendulum B. How do I use the calibration weights before testing. Please consider and advise. Thanks.

2

I am not sure which would be the most useful unit to use. What is more important is the Ball size and the internal diameter of the clamping ring. You can't compare result if the ring and ball size used are different. The maximum bursting strength that can be measured will depend on the Load cell fitted to your machine and the efficiency of the clamping ring. There several standards for Ball Burst availble depending on type of fabric being tested and its final end use.

Dear Sylvia, my question about ball bursting tests. Firstly I want to ask which unit is more usefull (N or N/m2) to determine of fabrics ball burst strength especially fabrics have ultimate elongation. Could you give me an approximate maximum ball burst v

1

I am not aware of a definitive method to evaluate this. In the past I have used a Cork-lined Random Tumble Pill Tester without lint to compare non-woven fabric for fibre shedding that were going to be used in clean rooms or for disposeable theatre drapes and garments.

I need to compare the amount of fraying that occurs when i cut across two tubular elasticated bandages. Any tests that I can use to compare cut edge fraying,loose fibres etc.

3

Not an easy question to answer. Woven and knitted fabrics can now be engineered to have very specific properties depending on the end use they are destined for. So I will pass on this one.

what are the main differences between knitted and woven fabric properties?

2

A good standard to start with would be BS EN 12332-1:1999 Rubber or plastic-coated fabric - Determination of bursting strength Part 1: Steel ball method. Tinius Olsen can supply a range of equipment to meet several Ball burst methods and other probes

We are coating a knit fabric with what we hope will be rather impervious to punctures. Do you have recommended tests that would give us a good point of reference?

8

I have used magnetic strips attached to the back of the boards but the basic board was painted sheet metal. You could also create a narrow shelf on your board but it may not be practical when assessing garments Double sided tape tends to mess up the painted surface of your board.

Please advise how to hang the smoothness/crease replicas on AATCC viewing board when assessing fabric samples

6

I am currently evaluating a woven fabric that could be supplied by SDLATlAS. If you could send your full details and machine type plus the normal forces your product breaks I may be able to help you further.

Hi Sylvia ,I have a question for tensile testing machine.Do you know any refrence fabric for the check equipment. thaks for your helps.

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You need to email your request to this address: service-uk@SDLATLAS.com

what are the setting standards for Xenotest 150S ?

4

There are many factors that could be causing this. You need to talk to a fabric finishing technologist.

Any ideas on why our Mill is getting excessive shrinkage figures on finished 6 oz Cotton fabric/ It is above 10% in the length

6