[Essentials] Martindale – What it Does and How it Works

The Martindale is a testing instrument that is used to assess the abrasion resistance and fabric pilling of textiles.

Abrasion Resistance is how resistant a fabric is against other materials after experiencing constant friction.

Pilling is the form of fibres on clothes that develop on areas of clothing that receive the most abrasion during everyday wear.

James Heal was part of the development of the original Martindale instrument in the 1940’s and since then, there have been many variations of the instrument created to complete abrasion and pilling tests consistently and reliably.

Testing the abrasion and pilling of a fabric is extremely important as it ensures quality and consistency within clothing for manufacturers. The Martindale provides reliable and repeatable tests that can be used to analyse any defaults or issues with the fabric before it is manufactured.

Whilst completing a Martindale test, there are several phrases you may come across which are part of the testing process, this blog will help you understand what each phrase means and how it is related to the testing procedure.

What is a Rub? – A rub is one revolution of the two outer drives of the Martindale. This is what is counted by the totalisers so it is known how many rubs have been completed.

What is a Cycle? – A cycle is the completion of all the translational abrasion movements tracing a Lissajous figure comprising 16 rubs.

What is a Lissajous Pattern? – A Lissajous is any one of an infinite variety of curves traced out by a point which undergoes two simple motions in perpendicular directions. On a Martindale, the Lissajous is created by 16 rubs and has a total Length of 3.02m.

A common specification for many fabrics when testing is 20,000 rubs. Once completed these rubs, the instrument will have completed 1,250 Lissajous figures totalling a length of 3776.25 meters. This is the equivalent of:

• The length of 755 Olympic swimming pools.
• The length of 687 Ford Transit vans.
• The height of 39 Big Bens.

The James Heal Martindale is available in three sizes with 2, 5 or 9 stations, depending on the size and demand of a laboratory. All are equipped with kits to test the abrasion and pilling on textiles, socks, leather, coated fabrics, soiling, wood, laminated and more.

Discover the James Heal Martindale here.