Test device for combined testing of stitch and cut resistance
Motivation
So-called ‘tarpaulin slashing’ causes significant financial losses in connection with the theft of cargo from lorries in both private and commercial settings. Consequently, there is growing interest in innovative protective textiles against vandalism and theft (e.g. bags, rucksacks, and carrier bags for cargo bikes). The basis for the development of such technical solutions offering a high level of protection lies in suitable testing methods for assessing the degree of protection. Until now, there has been no testing procedure for textiles used to protect against break-ins and theft that allows for a combined assessment of puncture and cut resistance.
Approach and results
The main focus of developing such a test procedure was to carry out the testing of stitch resistance and cut resistance in a combined test sequence and to perform a quantitative measurement of the puncture and cutting forces acting on the material. Through the construction of a test device and the development of suitable measurement and control technology, an innovative test rig was developed in collaboration with a subcontractor, which offers the following advantageous features for the puncture and cut testing process:
- Stitching and cutting take place in immediately successive sequences of movement, enabling a reliable assessment of textile surfaces for use as protective textiles.
- The test bench’s clamping frame is designed to be portable to ensure simple and rapid sample preparation.
- The size of the clamping frame corresponds approximately to that of an A4 sheet and allows a cutting length of up to 180 mm.
- The clamping frame enables the test specimen to be clamped with a defined preload force to ensure reproducibility and comparability.
- The clamping force of the clamping frame is sufficient to test various textiles with different surfaces and thicknesses of up to 30 mm.
- The test cycle is fully automated and closed-loop, so that no intervention by the test technician is required.