What is it used for?
The test is used to assess the shear strength of an adhesive on textile or resilient floorcoverings.
How it’s done:
- Six samples of the floorcovering measuring 50mm x 100mm are bonded to a piece of plywood of the same dimensions- the bond area measures 50mm x 50mm.
- During the test period, half of the samples are kept at a constant temperature of 23°C for 28 days.
- After this time period, the lateral shear force it takes to pull the floorcovering from the plywood must measure at least 400 newtons per millimeter (N/mm).
- The other half of the samples are kept at a temperature of 50°C for 42+7 days, to represent a floorcovering being on the floor for 12 months.
- The floorcoverings are then ‘pulled’ off the plywood using a tensometer.
What’s next?
The lateral shear force it takes to pull the floorcovering from the plywood is measured and has to have reduced by less than 25% in between the two sets of readings, to pass the test.