Martindale Abrasion Test (for soft silicone)
Applicable to thin, flexible soft silicone (such as silicone watchbands and anti-slip mats). Core assessments include "number of abrasions" and "surface wear grade":
Specimen Preparation: Cut a 38mm diameter circular specimen, cover it with a backing pad (such as wool felt), and secure it to the test head.
Abrasive Selection: Use commonly used standard abrasive fabrics (such as W101 and W201, to simulate different abrasive media).
Test Parameters: Set the pressure to 9kPa (normal) or 12kPa (heavy load). 1000 abrasions constitute one cycle.
Result Interpretation:
Quantitative: Record the number of cycles until the specimen shows "obvious fuzzing" or "breakage" (e.g., 5000 abrasions without breakage indicates acceptable abrasion resistance).
Qualitative: Compare the test results to the Martindale Abrasion Scale Chart and assign a grade (1 being the worst and 5 being the best).