ISO 4674-1:2016

Overview

ISO 4674-1:2016 - "Rubber- or plastics-coated fabrics - Determination of tear resistance - Part 1: Constant rate of tear methods" defines laboratory methods for measuring the force required to initiate and propagate an initiated tear in coated fabrics using a constant-rate tensile test. It specifies two test geometries: Method A (tongue or double‑tear) and Method B (trouser or single‑tear), and gives requirements for apparatus, conditioning, wet testing and result evaluation.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Two test methods
  • Method A - Tongue tear: test pieces 200 mm × 150 mm with a 100 mm × 50 mm tongue; lines and end-of-tear marks are specified to control tear length and location.
  • Method B - Trouser tear: trouser‑shaped specimens (normal and wide‑width options in Annex B) for single‑leg tearing.
• Apparatus
  • Constant‑rate-of‑extension tensile testing machine that complies with ISO 1421.
  • Tear forces recorded by an autographic recorder or by data‑acquisition systems (standard specifies a minimum data collection frequency).
  • Clamping device dimensions defined to avoid slippage and ensure correct alignment.
• Test parameters
  • Typical jaw separation 100 mm and traverse rate (100 ± 10) mm/min; tests are stopped after a defined torn length (e.g., 60 mm in Method A).
  • Wet testing procedure: 24 h immersion (water, optionally with ≤0.1% surfactant), rinse and test immediately.
• Conditioning and timing
  • Conditioning atmospheres referenced to ISO 2231 and minimum conditioning times (e.g., 16–24 h depending on coating).
  • Minimum interval between manufacture and testing (16 h); maximum intervals for comparability and product testing are specified.
• Result evaluation
  • Procedures for manual and electronic evaluation of tear traces, peak selection and averaging; criteria for rejecting tests (slippage, delamination, off‑axis tear).

Applications and users

ISO 4674-1 is used to:

• Characterize tear resistance of rubber- or plastics-coated textiles for covers, tarpaulins, inflatable products, protective clothing and technical fabrics.
• Compare materials, support quality control, supplier specifications and product development. Primary users:
• Test laboratories and quality departments in textile/coating manufacturing.
• Product engineers and R&D teams assessing coated fabric durability.
• Specifiers and purchasers who require standardized tear‑resistance data.

Related standards

• ISO 4674-2 - Ballistic pendulum method (dynamic tear)
• ISO 1421 - Tensile testing of coated fabrics
• ISO 2231 - Standard atmospheres for conditioning/testing
• ISO 2286-1 - Roll characteristics sampling
• ISO 2602 - Statistical interpretation of test results

ISO 4674-1:2016 provides repeatable, comparable procedures for assessing initiated tear behaviour of coated fabrics-essential for material selection, specification and quality assurance.