Textile Martindale Abrasion Test Standard Method for Evaluating and Improving Abrasion Resistance

Abrasion is manifested in the morphological changes of the fabric, which are mainly damage, loss of quality, discoloration in appearance, pilling and other changes. There are many methods for testing the abrasion resistance of textile products, such as flat grinding, curved grinding, edge grinding and compound grinding. 

Martindale method is a kind of flat grinding method, which is widely used in the abrasion resistance testing of clothing, home textiles, decorative fabrics, and furniture fabrics. The test sample is rubbed against a standard abrasive cloth under the specified pressure. After a predetermined number of rotations, the test sample is compared with the reference sample to rate its wear resistance. 

1. Evaluation of the wear resistance of fabrics There are usually the following methods for the evaluation of the wear resistance of fabrics: 

1.1 Observing the change of appearance properties is generally used under the same test conditions, after a specified number of wear, observe the surface gloss, Changes in appearance effects such as fuzzing, pilling, etc. are usually compared with standard samples to evaluate their grades. It is also possible to use the number of frictions required for a certain number of sand lines to break on the surface of the sample after wear, or for a certain size of holes to appear on the surface of the sample, as the evaluation basis. 

1.2 Determination of changes in physical properties After the samples have been worn for a specified number of times, the changes in physical and mechanical properties such as weight, thickness, and breaking strength were measured to compare the wear resistance of the fabrics. 

2. The current standards of fabric abrasion resistance are different from each country and regional standard series, and the test standard applicable to the Martindale tester is the Chinese standard. Specific current specific standards are as follows: Chinese National Standard GB/T 19089-2012 Determination of Abrasion Resistance of Rubber or Plastic Coated Fabrics Martindale Method GB/T 19089-2012 Determination of Abrasion Resistance of Rubber or Plastic Coated Fabrics Martindale Method GB/T 21196.1-2007 Part 1: Martindale Abrasion Tester GB/T 4802.2-2008 Determination of Pilling Properties of Textile Fabrics Part 2: Modified Martindale Method GB/T 21196.2-2007: Textile Martin Determination of Abrasion Resistance of Dyer Fabrics Part 2: Determination of Sample Damage GB/T 21196.3-2007 Textiles Determination of Abrasion Resistance of Fabrics by Martindale Method Part 3: Determination of Mass Loss Determination of abrasion resistance of fabrics by Martindale method Part 4: Evaluation of appearance changes Part 2: Determination of sample breakage Current GB/T 21196.3-2007 Determination of abrasion resistance of textiles by Martindale method Part 3: Determination of mass loss GB/T 3903.16-2008 Upper, lining and insole of footwear Test method for abrasion resistance GB/T 13775-1992 Test method for abrasion resistance of cotton, linen and silk woven fabrics GB/T 25262-2010 Vulcanized rubber or thermoplastic rubber Published by an influential standardization organization for fabric abrasion resistance testing - the Martindale method standard. 

Among them, the international standard adopts EU standard. The revision of China's national standards adopts the standards of the International Organization for Standardization, and the detection methods are basically the same as the standards of the International Organization for Standardization, but the scope of application of the standard increases the coated fabrics, and for the detection of the coated fabrics, the corresponding provisions for damage and friction of the coated fabrics are added. Loading parameters, standard abrasives, and standard abrasive replacement requirements. In the actual situation, the corresponding test standards and methods can be selected according to the needs. 

Fourth, the method of improving the abrasion resistance In order to improve the abrasion resistance of the fabric, we mainly discuss the method of improving the abrasion resistance of the fabric from the three aspects of the yarn fiber composition, the fabric structure and the finishing. 

1. The properties of fibers The main properties that affect the wear resistance of fibers are the physical properties of fiber stretching, bending and shearing. In terms of fiber types, the abrasion resistance is as follows:

Nylon>polypropylene>Vinyl>Polyethylene>polyester>Acrylic>Chloroline>hair>Silk>cotton>numb>strong fiber>cupro fiber>Viscose fiber>acetate>Compared with the fiber structure of glass fiber, the abrasion resistance of circular cross-section structure fiber is higher than the strength of special-shaped fiber; the thinner the fiber, the worse the abrasion resistance. Therefore, in order to improve the wear resistance, it is necessary to choose circular section fibers with good wear resistance as much as possible. 

2. The type of yarn The wear resistance of the yarn is closely related to the structure of the yarn. Different spinning methods, different winding methods of fibers in the yarn, and different cohesion between fibers also have different wear resistance. Because most of the fibers of traditional ring spun yarn are in helical form, when repeatedly rubbed, the helical fibers gradually become axial fibers, and the yarn is easy to lose twist and disintegrate and quickly wear off, so the wear resistance is poor. Non-traditional spinning has obvious advantages in terms of wear resistance. Rotor yarn, air-jet yarn and vortex yarn are all composed of yarn core and outer fiber. The surface of the yarn is covered with irregular winding fibers, and the yarn is not easy to disintegrate. At the same time, the friction coefficient of the yarn surface is large, and the cohesion between the yarn and the yarn is good in the fabric, and it is not easy to produce relative slip, so the wear resistance is improved. Compared with ring-spun yarn, the fibers of compact spinning are neat and straight, the yarn structure is tight, and the fibers are not easy to disperse, so the yarn has better wear resistance. 

3. Fabric organization The organization structure of the fabric determines the tightness and thickness of the paper film, which has a significant impact on its wear resistance. Among the three basic structures, the plain weave has the best wear resistance, the satin weave the worst, and the twill weave is in the middle. 

4. Fabric finishing method Fabric finishing is a finishing that combines physical and chemical methods to endow the fabric with certain specific properties. Such as protective finishing: waterproof, fireproof, mildew proof, oil proof, cold proof, atomic energy radiation proof, anti-melting, anti-pilling, etc. Resin finishing can significantly improve the abrasion resistance of fabrics. More about Martindale Abrasion Testers: https://www.gesterinstruments.com/martindale-abrasion-and-pilling-tester-gt-c13

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