Testing acc. to ISO 6383-1: Plastics - Film and sheeting - Determination of tear resistance - Part 1: Trouser tear method
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Testing methods
Our test laboratory carries out tests according to DIN EN ISO 6383-1 in an accredited procedure for the determination of the tear resistance of plastic films and plastic sheeting. The standard describes the Trouser Tear Method for determining a material's resistance to the propagation of an already initiated tear. It is intended for plastic films and plastic sheeting with a thickness of less than 1 mm and is suitable for both flexible and certain more rigid materials, provided that brittle fracture does not occur.
The test is used for plastic films, technical films, coated sheeting, artificial leather, packaging films and flexible polymer materials. The resulting values are used for material development, quality control, material qualification and the comparison of different formulations or material constructions. The test is particularly relevant for applications in which existing cuts, notches or damage may lead to further tear propagation under load.
Test procedure
For testing, standardized trouser-shaped specimens are prepared, in which a central longitudinal cut forms two "trouser legs". These legs are clamped into the grips of a tensile testing machine and pulled apart at a specified test speed. As the tear propagates along the length of the specimen, the force required for tear propagation is continuously recorded. The tear resistance of the material is calculated from the average force. The test is performed under defined conditions with regard to specimen conditioning, temperature and relative humidity.
DIN EN ISO 6383-1 is often used in conjunction with other tear resistance tests. For coated textiles and artificial leather, the FILK testing laboratory offers testing according to DIN EN ISO 4674-1 and DIN EN 1875-3. While these methods are specifically designed for coated textile sheet materials, DIN EN ISO 6383-1 is intended for plastic films and plastic sheeting. In addition, tear tests according to DIN EN ISO 3377-1 (single-edge tear method) and DIN EN ISO 3377-2 (double-edge tear method) are available for leather. The various methods use different specimen geometries and loading principles, thereby providing material-specific parameters for the assessment of tear propagation behavior.
