Testing of non-woven fabrics and textiles in medical technology

Determination of tensile strength and tear strength according to EN ISO 13934-1, EN ISO 13937-2 and EN ISO 9073-4

Protective breathing masks have become an everyday companion for all of us because of the Corona pandemic. High demands are placed on the materials used for production in accordance with various standards for optimum quality and protective effect. In addition to filtering performance against solid and liquid aerosols, this also applies to physical properties. For example, the tensile strength of the textiles when worn and the behavior of the fabrics under moisture are tested.

To ensure the high quality of the materials, they are tested both in research and development and in quality assurance during production. Common test methods are, for example:

- Determination of maximum force and elongation at maximum force using the strip method according to EN ISO 13934-1

- Determination of tear force of trouser-shaped test specimens (single tear method) according to EN ISO 13937-2

- Determination of tear resistance by the trapezoid procedure according to EN ISO 9073-4

- Determination of the tear strength on single-use medical gloves according to DIN EN 455-2

For these testing tasks, a universal testing machine inspekt solo 2.5 kN, equipped with a screw grips, was recently delivered to a testing institute for medical devices.