ISO 13938-1:2019

Overview

ISO 13938-1:2019 defines a hydraulic method for measuring the bursting properties of textile fabrics - specifically bursting strength and bursting distension. The standard applies to knitted, woven, nonwoven and laminated fabrics (and can be used for other fabric types). A constant-rate pumping device raises hydraulic pressure under a membrane until the specimen ruptures; results are reported as corrected bursting pressure (kPa) and bursting distension (height in mm and/or volume in cm3). For most apparel fabrics (pressures ≤ 800 kPa) results are comparable to pneumatic methods; hydraulic apparatus is preferred for high-pressure specialty textiles.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Test principle: Specimen clamped over an elastic membrane and pressure increased by a constant volume flow until rupture.
• Apparatus: Requirements include constant-volume increase (typical range 100–500 cm3/min ±10%), test surface (nominal 50 cm2 / 79.8 mm dia.; alternatives 100, 10 or 7.3 cm2 by agreement), membrane thickness ≤ 2 mm, secure annular clamping (inner diameters ±0.2 mm) and a safety enclosure.
• Measurement accuracy: Pressure reading ±2% of full scale (above 0–20% range); burst height to 70 mm with ±1 mm accuracy; volume indication to ±2% if used.
• Specimen states: Tests may be performed on conditioned specimens (per ISO 139) or on wet specimens (soak 1 h in Type 3 laboratory water per ISO 3696 at 20 ± 2 °C; up to 1 g non‑ionic wetting agent permitted).
• Corrections & calculations: Subtract membrane pressure (measured at same deformation) from burst pressure to obtain bursting strength. Report arithmetic means, rounding rules (kPa to three significant figures, height to two significant figures), and optionally coefficient of variation and 95% confidence limits.
• Operational notes: If volume indication is unavailable, a time-to-burst of (20 ± 5) s may be used; avoid edges, folds and selvedges when sampling.

Applications and users

• Quality control and specification testing for apparel, technical textiles and laminated fabrics
• Research & development (material selection, performance benchmarking)
• Independent test laboratories and certification bodies
• Textile manufacturers, converters and procurement/specification teams assessing fabric durability and seam or product performance
• Particularly useful where high bursting pressures are expected (hydraulic testers preferred over pneumatic)

Related standards

• ISO 13938-2 - pneumatic bursting method (comparable method)
• ISO 139 - conditioning atmospheres for textiles
• ISO 3696 - laboratory water quality
• ISO 10012 - measurement management for equipment calibration

Keywords: ISO 13938-1:2019, bursting properties, hydraulic method, bursting strength, bursting distension, textile burst testing, fabric testing, hydraulic burst tester.