BS EN ISO 13938‑1:2019

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BSI Standards Publication

Textiles — Bursting properties of fabrics

Part 1: Hydraulic method for determination of

bursting strength and bursting distension
 BS EN ISO 13938‑1:2019 BRITISH STANDARD

National foreword
This British Standard is the UK implementation of EN ISO 13938‑1:2019.
It is identical to ISO 13938‑1:2019. It supersedes BS EN ISO 13938‑1:1999,
which is withdrawn.
The UK participation in its preparation was entrusted to Technical
Committee TCI/24, Physical testing of textiles.
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A list of organizations represented on this committee can be obtained on

request to its secretary.
This publication does not purport to include all the necessary provisions
of a contract. Users are responsible for its correct application.
© The British Standards Institution 2019
Published by BSI Standards Limited 2019
ISBN 978 0 580 52106 5
ICS 59.080.30
Compliance with a British Standard cannot confer immunity from
legal obligations.
This British Standard was published under the authority of the
Standards Policy and Strategy Committee on 31 December 2019.

Amendments/corrigenda issued since publication

Date Text affected
 EUROPEAN STANDARD EN ISO 13938‑1
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM December 2019

ICS 59.080.30 Supersedes EN ISO 13938‑1:1999

English Version
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Textiles — Bursting properties of fabrics — Part 1:

Hydraulic method for determination of bursting strength
and bursting distension (ISO 13938-1:2019)
Textiles — Propriétés de résistance à l'éclatement Textilien — Bersteigenschaften von textilen
des étoffes — Partie 1: Méthode hydraulique Flächengebilden — Teil 1: Hydraulisches
pour la détermination de la résistance et de la Verfahren zur Bestimmung von Berstdruck
déformation à l'éclatement (ISO 13938-1:2019) und Berstwölbung (ISO 13938-1:2019)

This European Standard was approved by CEN on 17 November 2019.

CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving
this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical
references concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre
or to any CEN member.

This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language
made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC
Management Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark,
Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta,
Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, Turkey and United Kingdom.

EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION

COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION
EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Avenue Marnix 17, B-1000 Brussels

© 2019 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN ISO 13938‑1:2019: E
worldwide for CEN national Members
 BS EN ISO 13938‑1:2019
EN ISO 13938‑1:2019 (E)

European foreword
This document (EN ISO 13938‑1:2019) has been prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 38 "Textiles"
in collaboration with Technical Committee CEN/TC 248 “Textiles and textile products” the secretariat
of which is held by BSI.
This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an
identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by June 2020, and conflicting national standards shall be
withdrawn at the latest by June 2020.
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Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
This document supersedes EN ISO 13938‑1:1999.
According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organizations of the
following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,
Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland,
Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic
of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the
United Kingdom.

Endorsement notice
The text of ISO 13938‑1:2019 has been approved by CEN as EN ISO 13938‑1:2019 without any
modification.

ii
 BS EN ISO 13938‑1:2019
ISO 13938‑1:2019


Contents Page

Foreword......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... iv
1 Scope.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1
2 Normative references....................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
3 Terms and definitions...................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
4 Principle......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 2
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5 Sampling......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 2
6 Apparatus...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 2
7 Atmospheres for conditioning and testing................................................................................................................................. 3
8 Procedure..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
8.5 Diaphragm correction........................................................................................................................................................................ 4
8.6 Wet test........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
9 Calculation and expression of results.............................................................................................................................................. 4
10 Test report.................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
10.1 General............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 5
10.2 Test results.................................................................................................................................................................................................. 5
Annex A (informative) Selection of testing areas..................................................................................................................................... 6

© ISO 2019 – All rights reserved  iii

 BS EN ISO 13938‑1:2019
ISO 13938‑1:2019


Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
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The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the
World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see www.iso.
org/iso/foreword.html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 38, Textiles, Subcommittee SC 24,
Conditioning atmospheres and physical tests for textile fabrics.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO 13938‑1:1999), of which it constitutes a
minor revision.
The changes compared to the previous edition are as follows:
— the normative references have been updated.
A list of all parts in the ISO 13938 series can be found on the ISO website.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.

iv  © ISO 2019 – All rights reserved

 BS EN ISO 13938‑1:2019
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 13938‑1:2019

Textiles — Bursting properties of fabrics —

Part 1:
Hydraulic method for determination of bursting strength
and bursting distension
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1 Scope
This document describes a hydraulic method for the determination of bursting strength and bursting
distension of textile fabrics.
In this document, a hydraulic pressure is applied using a constant rate of pumping device.
NOTE ISO 13938‑2 describes a method using pneumatic pressure.

The method is applicable to knitted, woven, nonwoven and laminated fabrics. It can be suitable
for fabrics produced by other techniques. The test is suitable for test specimens in the conditioned
or wet state.
From the available data, there appears to be no significant difference in the bursting strength results
achieved using hydraulic or pneumatic burst testers, for pressures up to 800 kPa. This pressure range
covers the majority of performance levels expected of general apparel. For speciality textiles requiring
high bursting pressures, the hydraulic apparatus is more suitable.

2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 139, Textiles — Standard atmospheres for conditioning and testing
ISO 3696, Water for analytical laboratory use — Specification and test methods
ISO 10012, Measurement management systems — Requirements for measurement processes and
measuring equipment

3 Terms and definitions

For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/
3.1
test area
area of the test specimen within the circular clamping device

© ISO 2019 – All rights reserved  1

 BS EN ISO 13938‑1:2019
ISO 13938‑1:2019


3.2
bursting pressure
pressure at burst
maximum pressure applied to a test specimen clamped over an underlying diaphragm until the test
specimen ruptures
3.3
bursting strength
strength at burst
pressure obtained by subtracting the diaphragm pressure (3.4) from the mean bursting pressure (3.2)
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3.4
diaphragm pressure
pressure applied to the diaphragm, with no test specimen present, to distend it to the mean bursting
distension (3.5) of the test specimen
3.5
bursting distension
distension at burst
expansion of a test specimen at the bursting pressure (3.2)
Note 1 to entry: It is expressed either as height at burst (3.6) or as volume at burst (3.7).

3.6
height at burst
distance between the upper surface of the test specimen before distension and the top of the test
specimen at the bursting pressure (3.2)
3.7
volume at burst
volume of pressurizing fluid pumped at the bursting pressure (3.2)
3.8
time to burst
time taken to distend a test specimen to burst

4 Principle
A test specimen is clamped over an expansive diaphragm by means of a circular clamping ring.
Increasing fluid pressure is applied to the underside of the diaphragm, causing distension of the
diaphragm and the fabric. The volume of fluid is increased at a constant rate per unit time until the test
specimen bursts. The bursting strength and bursting distension are determined.

5 Sampling
Either select samples in accordance with the procedure laid down in the material specification for
the fabric, or as agreed between the interested parties. In the absence of an appropriate material
specification, an example of a suitable sampling procedure is given in Annex A. Avoid areas that are
folded or creased, selvedges and areas not representative of the fabric. The system of clamping used
generally permits tests to be applied without cutting out test specimens.

6 Apparatus

6.1 Bursting tester. Metrological confirmation of the bursting tester shall be carried out in accordance
with ISO 10012.

The bursting tester shall comply with the following requirements.

2  © ISO 2019 – All rights reserved

 BS EN ISO 13938‑1:2019
ISO 13938‑1:2019


6.1.1 The apparatus shall be capable of producing various constant rates of increase in volume per unit
time between 100 cm3/min and 500 cm3/min to within ±10 % of the indicated value. If the apparatus
is not equipped to adjust fluid volume, a testing time to burst of (20 ± 5) s may be applied. This shall be
indicated in the test report.

6.1.2 Bursting pressure shall be indicated with an accuracy of ±2 % of full-scale range above the first
20 % of range.

6.1.3 Height at burst up to 70 mm shall be indicated with an accuracy of ±1 mm. Zero position of the
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measuring gauge shall be adjustable to accommodate the thickness of the test specimen.

6.1.4 Means for indicating the volume at burst (if available) to within ±2 % of the indicated value.

6.1.5 A test area of 50 cm2 (79,8 mm diameter) shall be used.

Other test areas of 100 cm2 (112,8 mm diameter) or 10 cm2 (35,7 mm diameter) or 7,3 cm2 (30,5 mm
diameter) may be used, if the preferred test area is not applicable in the existing testing equipment, or
due to high or low expansion of the fabric or other fabric requirements, or by mutual agreement.

6.1.6 The clamping device shall provide for clamping of the test specimen securely without distortion
or damage and prevent slippage during the test. The clamping ring shall allow undisturbed vaulting of
highly expansive fabrics (e.g. fabric test specimens whose height at burst is greater than half of the test
specimen diameter). All test specimen clamping ring inner diameters shall be accurate to ±0,2 mm. To
avoid test specimen damage, a small curvature at the inner edge of the clamping ring facing the test
specimen is recommended.

6.1.7 A safety cover shall enclose the clamping device during the test when the expansion of the test
specimen takes place. It shall allow clear observation of the expansion of the test specimen during the test.

6.1.8 The diaphragm shall meet the following requirements:

— thickness up to 2 mm;
— highly expansive;
— if the diaphragm is to be used several times, it shall be elastic within the range of height at burst
observed during the test;
— resistant against pressurizing fluids used.

7 Atmospheres for conditioning and testing

The atmospheres for preconditioning, conditioning and testing shall be as specified in ISO 139.
Preconditioning and conditioning are not required for wet tests.

8 Procedure

8.1 Prior to testing the sample shall be conditioned in the relaxed state in accordance with Clause 7.

During conditioning and testing maintain the test specimens in the atmosphere for conditioning and
testing in accordance with Clause 7.

© ISO 2019 – All rights reserved  3

 BS EN ISO 13938‑1:2019
ISO 13938‑1:2019


8.2 Set a test area of 50 cm2 (see 6.1.5).

For most fabrics, particularly knitted fabrics, the test area of 50 cm2 is applicable. For fabrics with low
extensibility (known from previous experience or preliminary testing), e.g. for fabrics for technical
application, a test area of 100 cm2 is recommended. In cases where these conditions cannot be met or
are not appropriate, alternative test areas in accordance with 6.1.5 may be used if mutually agreed.
Comparison of results requires the test to be performed with the same test areas and rates of
increase in volume.
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8.3 Set a constant rate of increase in volume of between 100 cm3/min and 500 cm3/min depending on
test area and fabric requirements. Or adjust a time to distend a test specimen to burst of (20 ± 5) s using
preliminary trials, if a constant rate of increase in volume is not applicable.

8.4 Place the test specimen over the diaphragm so that it lies in a flat tensionless condition, avoiding
distortion in its own plane. Clamp it securely in the circular holder, avoiding jaw damage, to prevent
slippage during the test. Place the distension recording device into the measuring position and adjust
it to the zero position. Fasten the safety cover in position according to machine requirements. Apply
pressure to the test specimen until the fabric bursts.

Immediately after burst, reverse the apparatus to starting position. Note bursting pressure and height
at burst and/or bursting volume. If the test specimen bursts close to the edge of the clamping device,
report this fact. Reject jaw breaks occurring within 2 mm of the clamping line. Repeat the test at least
four more times at different places on the fabric. The number of test specimens may be increased if
agreed mutually.

8.5 Diaphragm correction

With the same test area and rate of increase in volume or time to burst as that employed in the above
tests, distend the diaphragm without the presence of a test specimen by an amount equal to the mean
height at burst or the mean volume at burst of the test specimen. Note the pressure at this distension of
the diaphragm as the “diaphragm pressure”.

8.6 Wet test

For tests in wet condition, immerse the test specimen for a period of 1 h in grade 3 water in accordance
with ISO 3696 at a temperature of (20 ± 2) °C. For tropical regions, temperature according to ISO 139
may be used. An aqueous solution containing not more than 1 g of a non-ionic wetting agent per litre
may be used instead of water.
Immediately after removal of a test specimen from the liquid and briefly placing it on blotting paper to
remove excess water, perform the test according to 8.2 to 8.5.

9 Calculation and expression of results

9.1 Calculate the arithmetic mean of the bursting pressure values in kilopascals (kPa). From this,
subtract the diaphragm pressure in kilopascals (kPa) as determined according to 8.5 to obtain the
bursting strength. Round the result to three significant figures.

9.2 Calculate the arithmetic mean of the height at burst values in millimetres. Round the result to two
significant figures.

9.3 If required, calculate the arithmetic mean of the volume at burst values in cubic centimetres. Round
the result to three significant figures.

4  © ISO 2019 – All rights reserved

 BS EN ISO 13938‑1:2019
ISO 13938‑1:2019


9.4 If required, calculate the coefficient of variation and the 95 % confidence limits for the bursting
pressure and height at burst and, if required, volume at burst. Round the coefficient of variation to the
nearest 0,1 % and the 95 % confidence limits in accordance with the mean values.

10 Test report
The test report shall include the following information.

10.1 General
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a) The number and year of publication of this document, i.e. ISO 13938‑1:2019, and date of test;
b) identification of test sample and sampling procedure, if required;
c) make and model of bursting tester used;
d) test area used, in square centimetres;
e) rate of increase in volume or time to burst;
f) number of test specimens tested and number of bursts close to clamping device and number of
tests rejected;
g) observation of bursting behaviour (e.g. rupture of one or both yarn directions);
h) state of test (conditioned or wet);
i) any deviation from the given procedure.

10.2 Test results

a) Mean bursting strength, in kilopascals (kPa);
b) mean height at burst, in millimetres;
c) mean volume at burst, in cubic centimetres, if required;
d) the coefficient of variation of the relevant values, in percent, if required;
e) the 95 % confidence limits, in units of the relevant mean values, if required.

© ISO 2019 – All rights reserved  5

 BS EN ISO 13938‑1:2019
ISO 13938‑1:2019


Annex A
(informative)

Selection of testing areas

In the absence of a specification for fabric sampling, the example given in Figure A.1 may be used.
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a Width of fabric.

Figure A.1 — Recommended position of testing areas or test specimens

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