Fabric Tensile Strength Testing

Fabric tensile strength testing measures the maximum force required to rupture a fabric specimen under uniaxial extension — the most fundamental and universally specified fabric mechanical property determining structural integrity in garment, technical, and industrial applications. ISO 13934-1 (strip method, 50 mm × 300 mm specimen, 200 mm gauge, 100 mm/min) and ISO 13934-2 (grab method, 100 mm × 150 mm specimen with 25 mm jaw width, 75 mm effective test width, 200 mm gauge) are the two dominant methods — strip test measures entire fabric width for consistent sampling of woven fabrics while grab test better represents localised stress concentrations. Breaking force results by construction: lightweight shirting (80–100 g/m², plain weave Ne 40 cotton) 150–280 N grab, 200–350 N strip; medium weight denim (320 g/m², 3×1 twill Ne 7 OE cotton) 800–1,200 N strip; geotextile nonwoven (200 g/m² PP needlepunch) 8–15 kN/m strip; para-aramid woven (200 g/m², Kevlar plain weave) 3,000–5,000 N strip. Elongation at break: cotton woven 12–25%; polyester woven 15–35%; warp-knitted 40–80%; 4-way stretch elastane blend >100%. Ten-sample minimum per direction (warp/wale, weft/course), report mean and CV% — CV% > 10% indicates fabric construction non-uniformity requiring investigation. Conditioning: ISO 139 standard atmosphere 20°C ±2, 65% RH ±4, minimum 24 hours before test.