Favimat Automated Single Fibre Tensile Testing

Textechno Favimat+ is the industry-standard automated single-fibre tensile tester processing 50–100 fibres/hour from cut staple or continuous filament packages, simultaneously measuring linear density by resonance vibration and tensile properties by constant rate of extension in a single test cycle. Measurement sequence: fibre loaded automatically from vibrating magazine → upper pneumatic clamp (0.5–100 cN jaw force) → linear density measured by transverse resonance vibration at calibrated pretension (0.05–0.5 cN/tex) → lower clamp closed → extension at programmed rate (2–50 mm/min) → force-extension curve recorded until break → fibre ejected → next fibre loaded. ISO 5079 standard conditions: gauge length 20 mm, pretension 0.1 cN/tex, extension rate 20 mm/min for natural fibres; gauge length 10 mm, rate 10 mm/min for short bast fibres; 2 mm/min for high-modulus carbon and aramid. Output parameters: linear density dtex (CV% <3% for uniform synthetic fibre, CV% 15–30% for natural fibres reflecting natural variability), tenacity cN/tex, elongation%, initial modulus cN/tex, work to break cN·cm/tex, and Weibull parameters (m, σ₀) from multi-test statistical analysis. Gauge length effect on measured tenacity (critical flaw theory): shorter gauge length gives higher apparent tenacity (fewer defects sampled) — polyester 10 mm gauge tenacity 55 cN/tex versus 50 mm gauge 48 cN/tex (15% difference); carbon fibre 25 mm gauge 4,500 MPa versus 150 mm gauge 3,800 MPa (18% difference). Instrument calibration: reference fibres (Textechno calibration PET multifilament, certified dtex and tenacity, traceable to PTB German national standard) tested daily.