Overview
EN ISO 11857:2002 (identical to ISO 11857:1999) specifies a laboratory method to determine the resistance to delamination of textile floor coverings with a secondary or foam backing. The standard measures the force required to separate plies (component layers) of a carpet or textile flooring product and expresses results in newtons. Results are intended for production control and quality assurance rather than as a definitive indicator of in-use performance.
Key topics and requirements
- Scope: Applicable to all textile floor coverings with secondary or foam backings.
- Specimen preparation: Cut five specimens per test direction, each 50 mm wide and 200 mm long (sampled per ISO 1957). For foam-backed products, apply a 50 mm adhesive tape strip to prevent foam tearing.
- Conditioning: Test specimens conditioned at the standard textile atmosphere - 20°C ± 2°C and 65% ± 2% relative humidity (see ISO 139) for a minimum of 24 hours.
- Test apparatus:
- Tensile testing machine capable of constant rate of extension (CRE) 300 mm/min ± 10 mm/min.
- Clamping system with serrated or padded jaws (minimum area 25 mm × 75 mm) to prevent slippage.
- Autographic load–extension recorder or equivalent data acquisition.
- Test procedure:
- Manually initiate a 50 mm separation at one end of the specimen, clamp separated plies in the jaws and run the CRE.
- Record force fluctuations through the delamination to the specimen end.
- If failure occurs other than normal delamination (e.g., pile pull-through), record failure mode and force.
- Result calculation:
- Ignore the first 25% of the recorded trace; divide the next 50% into five equal sections and take the peak load in each section.
- Average peak loads per specimen; then compute the mean across five specimens per direction. Express final values in newtons.
- If no distinct peaks, record the average force by eye through the trace center.
Practical applications and users
- Manufacturers: production control, incoming/outgoing quality checks for secondary/foam-backed carpets.
- Test laboratories: standardized measurement for client reports and certification testing.
- Specifiers and procurement: compare delamination resistance when selecting products for environments where backing integrity is important (e.g., contract, commercial installations).
- R&D teams: evaluate backing adhesives, lamination processes, or new backing materials.
Note: EN ISO 11857:2002 results should be used alongside other performance tests, as they do not fully predict in-service behavior.
Related standards
- ISO 139 - Standard atmospheres for conditioning and testing textiles.
- ISO 1957 - Sampling and cutting specimens for machine-made textile floor coverings.
Keywords: EN ISO 11857:2002, ISO 11857:1999, textile floor coverings, delamination test, resistance to delamination, secondary backing, foam backing, tensile testing machine, conditioning atmosphere.
