How to Measure the Strength of Vinyl Upholstery

Wyzenbeek or Abrasion Method

• 1

  Take one 2-inch by 8-inch sample of the vinyl and line up the longest side parallel to the oscillatory cylinder.

• 2

  Set the machine to apply two pounds of pressure and six pounds of tension on the vinyl, with the scale bar of the cylinder in the horizontal position. Use grit-silicon carbide sheets, or stainless steel screen as the abrasive.

• 3

  Set the machine at 5000 double rubs per hour. The room temperature should be between 70 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Taber Abraser Method

• 4

  Cut a sample of the vinyl into a 4 1/8-inch circle.

• 5

  Place the sample on an S-16 specimen plate, which in turn, is placed onto the Taber platform. It is this apparatus that gives the test its name.

• 6

  Turn the platform on a vertical axis, against two rotating rubber wheels which abrade, or rub the vinyl.

• 7

  Check the sample to see how much it has been worn.

Light and Cold Tests

• 8

  Test the strength of the vinyl under exposure to light, using a xenon weathering unit on a continuous light cycle at temperatures between 145 and minus 6 degrees Fahrenheit, at a relative humidity of between 86 percent and minus 5 percent.

• 9

  Use the roller method to test the strength of the vinyl under cold conditions. Take four 2-inch by 6-inch pieces of vinyl. Bring the two narrow ends of each piece together and staple them to a piece of card, forming a smooth loop at the end that is not stapled.

• 10

  Expose the pieces for two hours to the specified low temperature.

• 11

  Roll the samples lengthwise, starting at the stapled end, and move towards the loop. Only use the pressure of the weight of the roller. Use a five pound roller on light materials -- up to 15 oz. per square yard -- and a ten pound roller on heavier samples. This test will enable you to determine the likelihood of the vinyl cracking, once it has been left in low temperatures. Serious cracking will be obvious. To check for fine cracking, use a magnifying glass.