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Home >> Application >> By Standard >> ASTM >> ASTM D >> ASTM D6797: Ball Burst Puncture Test for Bursting Strength of Nonwoven Barrier Fabrics

ASTM D6797: Ball Burst Puncture Test for Bursting Strength of Nonwoven Barrier Fabrics

ASTM D6797 is a standard test method for measuring the bursting strength of woven and knitted textiles using a constant-rate-of-extension (CRE) tensile tester with a ball burst fixture, providing precise, repeatable data for fabric performance evaluation, quality control, and compliance, essential for validating high-elongation textiles in real-world applications.

ASTM D6797 titled "Test Method for Bursting Strength of Fabrics Constant-Rate-of-Extension (CRE) Ball Burst Test." While similar in name to ASTM D3787, it has a distinct focus and methodology.

Key Differentiator from ASTM D3787: While D3787 is a general textile test, D6797 is specifically validated and intended for nonwoven fabrics used as barrier materials, such as those in medical gowns and drapes. It uses a different clamping mechanism (CRE Ball Burst fixture) designed to minimize specimen slippage, which is a critical issue with the smooth, often slippery surfaces of polymer-based barrier fabrics.

Test Principle:

It determines the force required to rupture a nonwoven barrier fabric by applying a load using a 1-inch (25.4 mm) diameter polished steel ball. The test is performed on a Constant-Rate-of-Extension (CRE) tensile testing machine. The principle is one of puncture and biaxial distension, simulating the stress of a blunt object (e.g., a finger, knee, or surgical instrument) pressing against a protective barrier material.

Specific Test Method:

The method is a Constant-Rate-of-Extension (CRE) Ball Burst Test. The "CRE" designation is essentially equivalent to "CRT" for the purposes of this test, referring to the constant speed of the moving crosshead.

Measured Property: Bursting Strength – the maximum force (in Newtons or pounds-force) required to cause rupture.

Optional Property: Bursting Distension – the displacement of the ball at the point of rupture.

ASTM D6797 Puncture Test Equipment:

Component	Specification
CRE Tensile Tester	Compliant with ASTM D76; load capacity ≥ 5KN / 20 kN; constant rate of extension control
Ball Burst Attachment	Polished hardened steel ball (25.400 mm diameter); ring clamp (44.450 mm internal diameter, grooved circular plates).
Accessories	Specimen cutters, calibration tools, replacement clamps, environmental conditioning chamber
Test Speed	305 ± 13 mm/min (12 ± 0.5 in/min) (default)

Test Specimen Information:

Dimensions: ≥125 mm square or 125 mm diameter circle; must be large enough to cover the ring clamp without tension.

Sampling: 5 specimens per lab sample; avoid duplicate warp/weft yarns; ≥1/10 fabric width from selvage (tubular knits exempt).

ASTM D6797 Test Procedures:

Setup: Install the ball burst attachment on the CRE tester; verify ball/ring clamp specs; calibrate the tester; set the speed to 305 ± 13 mm/min.

Specimen Prep: Cut specimens to size above mentioned; condition as per ASTM D1776.

Testing: Clamp the specimen without tension; start the test; stop at rupture; record the maximum force.

Data Analysis: Repeat for ≥5 specimens; calculate the mean bursting strength and standard deviation; report results in Newtons or pounds-force.

Key Notes:

CRE and CRT machines yield different results; always use the appropriate standard (ASTM D6797 for CRE, ASTM D3787 for CRT).

Strict adherence to specimen clamping tension and test speed is essential for accurate and repeatable results.

Importance for the Textile Industry:

ASTM D6797 is not just a test—it is a fundamental safety and compliance tool:

Patient and Healthcare Worker Safety: It directly assesses the integrity of the primary barrier against microbial transmission in surgical settings. A high bursting strength indicates a lower risk of tear or puncture, which could lead to exposure to blood and other potentially infectious fluids.

Regulatory & Standards Compliance: It is a mandated test under critical industry standards like AAMI PB70. Manufacturers cannot legally market surgical gowns and drapes in the U.S. without performing this test to classify their product's barrier level (Levels 1-4).

Material Qualification & R&D: Provides a reliable, reproducible metric for comparing different nonwoven composites, polymer formulations, and manufacturing processes to develop stronger, lighter, and more cost-effective barrier materials.

Quality Assurance (QA): Serves as a vital in-process and final-product QA check to ensure every batch of fabric meets the specified strength requirements, preventing defective products from reaching the operating room.

Related products and device

ASTM D6797 Puncture Testing Universal Testing Machine

WDW Series Computer Control Electronic Universal Testing Machine made by UNITEDTEST range from 100N to 600KN load capacity with various models like single columns, table type, door frame type etc., is used to perform tension, compression, flexure/bending, shearing, peeling etc., test for metal and nonmetal specimens. Matched with UNITEDTEST design and produced various test fixture, like peel, flexure, puncture, tear, pneumatic grip, belt tension etc., this UTM can be used to almost all materials include but not limited to steel rod, rubber, steel wire, plastic, seat belt, textile, wood, panel etc., mechanical performance inspection.

ASTM D6797 Fabric Ball Burst Test Fixture

ASTM D6797 Ball Burst Puncture Test Fixture is a standardized attachment for constant-rate-of-extension (CRE) tensile testing machines, used to determine the bursting strength of textile fabrics by forcing a polished steel ball through a clamped specimen at a constant rate until rupture.

Related Standard

ASTM D3787 Textile Ball Burst Constant Rate Traverse CRT Test –

ASTM D3787 Standard Test Method for Bursting Strength of Textiles;Constant-Rate-of-Traverse (CRT) Ball Burst Test.

ASTM D3787 is a standard test method for measuring the bursting strength of high-elongation textiles via a constant-rate-of-traverse (CRT) ball burst setup, providing repeatable data for material selection, quality control, and compliance, critical for ensuring fabric performance in end-use scenarios.

ISO 12236 Static Puncture Test (CBR test) for Geosynthetics –

ISO 12236 puncture test (CBR test) is the principal international standard for measuring the static puncture resistance of geosynthetics using a 50-mm plunger. Its results are a key indicator of a material's performance in applications requiring resistance to localized, sustained pressure.

ASTM D4595 Tensile Test of Geotextiles by the Wide-Width Strip –

ASTM D4595 Standard Test Method for Tensile Properties of Geotextiles by the Wide-Width Method

ASTM D4595 covers the measurement of tensile properties of geotextiles using a wide-width strip specimen tensile method. This test method is applicable to most geotextiles that include woven fabrics, nonwoven fabrics, layered fabrics, knit fabrics, and felts that are used for geotextile application.

ASTM D4533 Trapezoid Tearing Strength Test of Geotextiles –

ASTM D4533 test used to measure the force required to continue or propagate tearing in woven or non-woven geotextiles, using the trapezoidal method for testing. The trapezoidal tearing method is a test that generates tension along a reasonably defined path, allowing the tear to propagate across the width of the specimen. The trapezoidal tear strength of woven fabrics is mainly determined by the characteristics of the yarns clamped in the fixture.

ISO 10319 Geotextile Wide Width Strip tensile testing –

ISO 10319: Geosynthetics -- Wide-width tensile test

ISO 10319 describes an index test method for the determination of the tensile properties of geosynthetics (polymeric, glass, and metallic), using a wide-width strip. It is applicable to most geosynthetics, including woven geotextiles, nonwoven geotextiles, geocomposites, knitted geotextiles, geonets, geomats, and metallic products. It is also applicable to geogrids and similar open-structure geotextiles, but specimen dimensions might need to be altered. It is not applicable to polymeric or bituminous geosynthetic barriers, while it is applicable to clay geosynthetic barriers.

ISO 10319 specifies a tensile test method that covers the measurement of load elongation characteristics and includes procedures for the calculation of secant stiffness, maximum load per unit width and strain at maximum load. Singular points on the load-extension curve are also indicated.

ISO 13426-1 Geotextiles Strength of internal structural junctions –

ISO 13426-1:2019 Geotextiles and geotextile-related products — Strength of internal structural junctions — Part 1: Geocells

ISO 13426-1 test describes index test methods for the determination of the strength of internal structural junctions of geocells under different loading conditions.

Splitting test procedure:

All test methods are performed at a constant strain rate of 20 mm/min.

At the beginning of the test, adjust the distance between the jaws to ±3mm of the required specimen length.

The specimen is mounted in the center of the jaws. Note that the length of the specimen should be parallel to the direction of the force.

Start the pull machine and continue until the sample is destroyed. Stop the device, record and report the maximum load with an accuracy of 2% of the full-scale reading. Reports the corresponding displacement in millimeters, with one decimal place reserved.

ISO 12956 Wet-sieving method geotextile opening size test –

ISO 12956:2019 Geotextiles and geotextile-related products — Determination of the characteristic opening size

ISO 12956 specifies a method for the determination of the characteristic size of the openings of a single layer of a geotextile or geotextile-related product using the wet-sieving principle.

ISO 12956 wet-sieving method geotextile opening size test machine Test principle: With the untensioned single-layer geotextile and its related product samples as a screen, under the specified vibration frequency and amplitude, the sample and graded granular material are sprayed with water, so that the granular graded material passes through the sample. The effective pore size of the specimen is indicated by the passing particle material and the specific particle size.

ISO 11058 Geotextile water permeability test –

ISO 11058 test specifies two test methods for the water permeability characteristics of a single layer of geotextile or geotextile-related product normal to the plane: the constant head method; and the falling head method.

ISO 11058:2019 Geotextiles and geotextile-related products — Determination of water permeability characteristics normal to the plane, without load.

Water Flow through a Geotextile: Measuring Perpendicular Water Flow and Permittivity

FAQs about ASTM D6797 Ball Burst Test for Fabrics , Textiles

Q1: What is the core purpose of the ASTM D6797 test?

A: ASTM D6797 is a standardized test method used to measure the bursting strength of woven, knitted, and nonwoven textiles by utilizing a constant-rate-of-extension (CRE) tensile tester with a ball burst fixture. It quantifies the maximum force required to rupture a clamped fabric specimen when a fixed polished steel ball is forced through it, focusing on evaluating the fabric’s resistance to localized puncture and burst under controlled strain conditions.

Q2: How is ASTM D6797 different from ASTM D3787?

A: The two standards are closely related but designed for different types of tensile testing machines, leading to key differences:

Aspect	ASTM D6797	ASTM D3787
Core Equipment	Constant-rate-of-extension (CRE) tensile tester	Constant-rate-of-traverse (CRT) tensile tester
Control Parameter	Maintains a constant fabric strain rate	Maintains a constant clamp movement speed
Test Speed Spec	305 ± 13 mm/min	300 ± 10 mm/min
Result Precision for High-Elongation Fabrics	Higher (consistent strain control)	Slightly lower (clamp speed may not match fabric strain rate)

Q3: Why is the ASTM D6797 test so critically important for the medical textile industry?

A: It is a fundamental safety and compliance test. It directly assesses the physical integrity of the primary barrier in products like surgical gowns and drapes. During use, these materials are subjected to stress from pressure, stretching, and blunt contact (e.g., a surgeon leaning against a drape, a knuckle pressing against a gown). A failure (tear/puncture) compromises the sterile field and can lead to microbial transmission, exposing both patients and healthcare workers to infection risks. This test is a key predictor of that in-use performance.

Q4: What is the "CRE Ball Burst Test Fixture" and why is its design so important?

A: The CRE (Constant-Rate-of-Extension) Ball Burst Fixture is the specialized clamping assembly specified in D6797. Its importance is in the details:

Anti-Slip Clamping Surfaces: The inner clamping surfaces that contact the specimen are designed to provide maximum grip. They are often serrated, rubber-coated, or lined with abrasive paper to hold onto polypropylene or polyethylene-based nonwovens, which can be very smooth and prone to slipping.

Precision Alignment: Like D3787, it features a 25.4 mm aperture and a matching 25.4 mm steel ball, but the enhanced clamping is the key differentiator that ensures the measured force is used to burstthe fabric, not to pull itfrom the clamps.

Q5: What are the most common causes of test failure or inaccurate results with D6797?

A:Specimen Slippage: Even with the enhanced clamp, improper tightening or worn clamp faces can still cause slippage, which is shown by a jagged force curve or a "shoulder" before the peak.

Improper Specimen Conditioning: Nonwovens are sensitive to humidity. Testing outside the standard atmosphere (21°C, 65% RH) can significantly alter results.

Ball Defects: A scratched, dented, or corroded ball will cause a cutting action, not a true burst, yielding inaccurately low values.

Misalignment: If the ball does not strike the exact center of the aperture, it creates an asymmetric load.

Q6: Can this test be used for materials other than medical nonwovens?

A: While specifically validated and essential for medical barrier fabrics, the D6797 method is applicable to any nonwoven or fabric where secure clamping is a concern and burst strength is a key performance metric. This can include:

Industrial protective clothing (e.g., for chemical or particulate barriers).

Sterile packaging materials (e.g., for medical devices).

Geotextiles and filter media where puncture resistance is important.

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