Abstract
Preliminary work has indicated that the tearing characteristics of textile fabrics depend on the speed with which the sample is torn. To obtain quantitative information on this speed depend ency, the tear-resistance of a variety of fabrics is being studied over a wide range of tearing speeds, from 0.05 in. per min. to impact at 10,000 in. per min. This range encompasses conventional laboratory test speeds and estimated end-use speeds of tear. The Elmendorf tear tester involves speeds which, while greater than those of conventional tear testers, do not approach the high speeds involved in service. This research was undertaken to determine the magnitude of and variations in the speeds of tear obtained with the use of the Elmendorf machine. The work repre sents only a portion of a broad research on the mechanism of tear, sponsored by the Chemicals and Plastics Section, Research and Development Branch, Office of The Quartermaster General, which has released this paper on the Elmendorf tester for publication.
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