SATRA develops new water resistance test method

The new SATRA TM444 test method uses the STM 640 centrifuge.

For many years, SATRA has been at the forefront of developing highly water-resistant footwear for a variety of applications, including outdoor wear and military use.

As part of these initiatives, SATRA has produced a number of test methods and test machines to evaluate the performance of materials, components and whole footwear for their water-resistant properties. These tests are primarily intended to evaluate products under laboratory conditions as part of ongoing testing programmes or research and development applications.

As such, the materials or products are usually damaged or fatigued in some way during the testing, and it can be relatively time consuming to obtain results. While this is usually acceptable during the design prototyping and initial sample development stages, it can be a problem when considering how to test a high level of production samples to confirm that their water-resistant properties are consistently as intended.

Therefore, SATRA has developed a new test method – TM444 – and a new machine (STM 640). These are specifically for use in production applications where it is important to obtain fast, reliable results without damaging the footwear.

SATRA TM444 is intended to provide a means of evaluating resistance to non-flex induced water penetration. It allows for the rapid assessment of footwear as the test duration is just over ten minutes and is suitable for all footwear types.

The test is based on a centrifuge principle. A sample of footwear is securely placed into a container, which is then filled with water to a known depth. The container is attached to a vertical shaft within the centrifuge and spun rapidly so that the water in the tank exerts a pressure on the outside of the footwear. The footwear is inspected for water penetration after its period in the centrifuge.

Please email testmethods@satra.co.uk for your copy of SATRA TM444. Enquiries for test equipment should be directed to the SATRA equipment sales division (test.equipment@satra.co.uk).

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 2 of the May 2013 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

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