ISO 15754:2009

Overview

ISO 15754:2009 specifies a laboratory method for determining the z-directional tensile strength of paper and board - the tensile strength perpendicular to the paper plane. The procedure measures the maximum force required to pull a test piece apart in the z-direction using a tensile-testing apparatus and double-sided adhesive tape. The standard is applicable to paper and board (but not to corrugated fibreboard) and includes sampling, conditioning, apparatus, calibration, test procedure and reporting requirements.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Scope and limitations
  • Applies to paper and board; not applicable to corrugated fibreboard.
  • Results for papers with grammage < 60 g/m² should be treated with caution (tape reinforcement effect).
• Principle
  • A specimen is bonded between two platens with double-sided tape, compressed, then strained to failure in the z-direction while recording peak force.
• Apparatus
  • Compression device to apply (1.4 ± 0.1) MPa for (6 ± 1) s.
  • Tensile-testing apparatus with force accuracy ±2% and dynamic performance adequate to capture peak force.
  • Two flat tester platens with test area (645 ± 10) mm² or (1000 ± 10) mm²; platens must be stiff and parallel (parallelism tolerance and vertical alignment specified).
  • Double-sided adhesive tape stronger than the sample (tape quality and ageing affect results).
• Calibration and test speed
  • Stress of 500 kPa must be reached in (200 ± 20) ms - the test speed is set so this condition is met for the platen size used.
• Procedure and data handling
  • Clean platens with solvent; condition specimens per ISO 187; use at least five valid tests.
  • Discard tests where failure occurs between tape and platen or tape and specimen; replace tape if ≥20% invalid results.
• Calculation and precision
  • Mean z-directional tensile strength calculated from the mean maximum force and the platen area (reported in kPa to three significant figures).
  • Interlaboratory CVs reported (example repeatability CVs ≈ 3.7–5.3%); reproducibility limits given for sample types.

Applications

• Quality control and acceptance testing for paper and board materials.
• Evaluation of internal bond strength, ply adhesion and through-thickness strength in product development.
• Comparative testing of different papers, boards and adhesive/tape effects in manufacturing and R&D.

Who uses this standard

• Paper and board manufacturers
• Independent testing and standards laboratories
• Packaging converters and material qualification teams
• R&D engineers developing paper-based products

Related standards

• ISO 186 - Paper and board: Sampling to determine average quality
• ISO 187 - Standard atmosphere for conditioning and testing
• ISO/TR 24498 (referenced for precision guidance)

Keywords: ISO 15754:2009, z-directional tensile strength, paper testing, paper and board, internal bond strength, Scott Bond, tensile-testing apparatus, tester platens, adhesive tape.