Characterisation of floor covering materials

Characterisation of floor covering materials TESTS AND EQUIPMENT

IN-USE SAFETY Determination of slipperiness by means of on-site and laboratory tests using the pendulum friction tester and GMG tribometer on dry, wet flooring or in the presence of contaminants (oil, sand, water, cleaning products, etc.). Protocols to evaluate the durability of slip resistance (in-use slipperiness).

Testing according to standards, in-house testing protocols and development of specific methodologies focused on customer needs and geared towards ensuring the durability of flooring materials.

ACCELERATED AGING Accelerated aging tests in chambers simulating different atmospheres: climatic chambers, UV radiation/condensation chamber, humidity chamber, salt spray chamber, immersion chamber.

ADHESION On-site and laboratory adhesion tests performed on coated flooring systems. Automatic hydraulic PosiTest AT-A Pull-Off Tester (the Dolly method) is used according to different standardised procedures.

TENSILE, BENDING AND COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH Study on the mechanical properties of materials such as polymers, metals and ceramics by means of universal INSTRON and IBERTEST equipment to run static tests. Use of a video extensometer to determine the specimen elongation.

ROUGHNESS Analysis of flooring texture or topography by measuring with roughness testing devices using 2D inspection and tracing methods for surfaces and quantification of vertical deviations either on-site or in the laboratory.

ABRASION AND SCRUB RESISTANCE Determination of abrasion resistance by means of accelerated wear tests on the Taber Abrasion tester (an international standard for an extensive range of materials).

Automatic equipment to evaluate scratching and wear resistance and loss of colour and brightness due to cleaning operations involving dry or wet scrubbing.

SPECULAR REFLECTANCE AND GLOSS On-site or laboratory evaluation of the quality of flooring finishes by means of a Rhopoint IQ glossmeter used to measure parameters such as the amount of reflected light, distinctness of image (DOI) and peak specular reflectance.

WETTABILITY AND SURFACE TENSION Determination of contact angles and surface energy of fluids on floorings by means of a SURFTENS universal goniometer to evaluate hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity properties associated with ease of cleaning.

VALIDATION UNDER REAL CONDITIONS OF USE Design and installation of test benches to analyse the feasibility of real-dimension scaling for new material floorings and evaluating their in-use behaviour and durability. Controlled degradation methodologies, perceptions, slipperiness and ease of cleaning under pedestrian traffic conditions.

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CONTACT Cristina Cerrillo cristina.cerrillo@tekniker.es

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