Also known as the Elmendorf test, the tearing test has been performed in the paper industry for more than half century in order to measure the mean internal resistance of cellulose or papers to the propagation of a deliberately initiated tear. It enables rapid determination of the dynamic resistance of materials designed to be subjected to strong shearing loads (e.g. newspaper) or liable to be damaged by sharp or heavy objects (e.g. paper bags, seat belts, protective clothing).

Subsequently, the test was naturally adopted for all materials in the form of sheet or films, cardboard, cloth, knitted fabrics, plastic films, aluminum foil, non-woven fabrics, complex flexible packaging etc. for which the service requirements are similar to those for paper.
Standards
Appita P 400, ASTM D 1424, ASTM D 1922, ASTM D 689, BS 4468, CSA D9, ISO 13937-1, ISO 1974, ISO 6383/2, M&S P-29, NEN 1760, NF G.07.149, NF T.54.141, SCAN P11, TAPPI T 414, UNI 6444

Applications
Corrugated Testing, Film and Foil Testing, Package Testing, Paper and Tissue Testing, Plastic Testing, Textile and Non-Wovens Testing
Industries
Flexible Packaging and Films, Nonwoven and Textiles, Paper and Pulp

Operation

The test is carried out on a specimen composed of one or more samples of standard dimensions,
usually with a distance of 1.7 in (43mm) remaining to be torn after initiating the tear. The energy of a pendulum of suitable weight is used to completely tear the specimen. The difference in the angle from the vertical of the center of gravity of the pendulum between the downswing and the upswing is a measure of the energy absorbed in tearing the sample. This angular movement is measured with a digital encoder and is immediately converted to the mean tearing force for a single sheet by the microprocessor incorporated in the apparatus.