Top 10 Penetration & Permeability Testing Instruments

Penetration and permeability testing instruments are essential for evaluating how liquids, gases, or chemicals pass through materials. They ensure material safety, durability, and compliance across textiles, protective clothing, medical fabrics, industrial filters, membranes, and geotextiles. Below is a detailed list of the Top 10 instruments, their applications, test items, pros & cons, and expanded standard compliance.

1. Hydrostatic Pressure Tester

Applications: Waterproof fabrics, raincoats, protective clothing, membranes

Functions: Measures water penetration under increasing hydrostatic pressure

Test Items: Hydrostatic resistance, penetration time

Standards:

ISO 811 – Textiles – Determination of resistance to water penetration

AATCC 127 – Water resistance: Hydrostatic pressure test

GB/T 4744 – Water penetration resistance of fabrics

EN 20811 – Textiles – Determination of hydrostatic pressure resistance

Pros:

High accuracy, widely accepted standard

Suitable for fabrics, membranes, and coatings

Cons:

Cannot simulate dynamic mechanical stress

Sample preparation is crucial

2. Spray Rating Tester

Applications: Rainwear, outdoor fabrics, coated textiles

Functions: Measures surface wetting resistance using water spray

Test Items: Spray rating, water repellency grade

Standards:

AATCC 22 – Water repellency: Spray test

ISO 4920 – Textiles – Determination of resistance to surface wetting

GB/T 4745 – Textile water repellency testing

EN 24920 – Protective clothing water repellency

Pros:

Quick, simple, and reproducible evaluation

Effective for surface coating assessment

Cons:

Only evaluates surface repellency, not full penetration

Manual reading may introduce variability

3. Mullen Burst Tester

Applications: Industrial textiles, nonwovens, laminated fabrics, paper

Functions: Measures the pressure required to rupture material

Test Items: Burst strength, penetration resistance

Standards:

ASTM D3786 – Hydraulic burst point of textiles

ISO 13938-2 – Nonwovens – Determination of bursting strength

GB/T 1530 – Bursting strength of fabrics

Pros:

Quantitative measure of material barrier strength

Suitable for nonwoven and laminated fabrics

Cons:

Cannot measure gradual liquid/gas permeability

Limited sample size

4. Air Permeability Tester

Applications: Filters, medical fabrics, technical textiles, geotextiles

Functions: Measures airflow through material under pressure difference

Test Items: Air permeability, differential pressure

Standards:

ISO 9237 – Textiles – Determination of air permeability

ASTM D737 – Air permeability of textile fabrics

GB/T 5453 – Air permeability of textile fabrics

EN ISO 9237 – Similar to ISO 9237 for EU compliance

Pros:

Simple, fast, repeatable

Direct evaluation of gas penetration

Cons:

Cannot measure liquid penetration

Sensitive to environmental and sample conditions

5. Liquid Penetration Tester

Applications: Protective clothing, gloves, surgical gowns, lab coats

Functions: Measures resistance to liquid penetration

Test Items: Penetration time, penetration volume

Standards:

ISO 6530 – Protective clothing – Resistance to penetration by liquids

ASTM F903 – Standard test method for resistance of materials to liquid penetration

GB/T 24508 – Protective clothing liquid penetration test

EN 20811 – Water penetration test for protective fabrics

Pros:

Direct evaluation of liquid barrier performance

Simulates realistic contact scenarios

Cons:

Requires precise sealing and alignment

Time-consuming testing

6. Water Column Tester

Applications: Outdoor jackets, tents, waterproof membranes

Functions: Measures water resistance as height of water column material can withstand

Test Items: Hydrostatic pressure resistance

Standards:

ISO 811 – Hydrostatic pressure determination

AATCC 127 – Hydrostatic pressure test

GB/T 4744 – Fabric hydrostatic pressure test

EN 20811 – Hydrostatic head determination

Pros:

Standardized and reproducible results

Simple and effective method

Cons:

Does not account for mechanical stress

Only measures static waterproofing

7. Gas Permeability Tester

Applications: Packaging films, membranes, protective clothing

Functions: Measures gas transmission rate through material

Test Items: Oxygen transmission rate (OTR), CO2 permeability, air permeability

Standards:

ASTM D1434 – Gas permeability of plastic films

ISO 2556 – Determination of gas transmission rate

GB/T 1038 – Air permeability of plastics

EN 15105 – Gas permeability of packaging films

Pros:

Critical for barrier materials and packaging

Quantitative, accurate, and reliable

Cons:

Specialized and higher cost

Limited to gas evaluation

8. Spray Impact Tester

Applications: Coated fabrics, technical textiles, water-repellent surfaces

Functions: Evaluates fabric resistance to liquid impact and penetration

Test Items: Spray rating, water repellency after mechanical impact

Standards:

ISO 4920 – Textile resistance to surface wetting

AATCC 22 – Spray test

GB/T 4745 – Water repellency evaluation

EN 24920 – Protective clothing water repellency

Pros:

Simulates real rain impact

Effective for outdoor and sports textiles

Cons:

Surface-only evaluation

Requires careful visual assessment

9. Hydrostatic Head Tester for Membranes

Applications: Membranes, geotextiles, coated fabrics

Functions: Measures maximum water pressure before penetration

Test Items: Hydrostatic head, breakthrough pressure

Standards:

EN 20811 – Hydrostatic head test

ISO 811 – Hydrostatic pressure determination

GB/T 4744 – Fabric hydrostatic pressure

ASTM D751 – Coated fabrics water resistance

Pros:

Suitable for highly waterproof materials

Standardized and reliable

Cons:

Requires safety precautions for high-pressure testing

Instrument size and cost relatively high

10. Rainfall Simulator

Applications: Outdoor fabrics, roofing, tents, protective garments

Functions: Simulates rainfall to evaluate water penetration and repellency

Test Items: Leakage, wetting degree, water penetration

Standards:

ISO 4920 – Resistance to surface wetting

AATCC 22 – Spray rating

GB/T 4745 – Water repellency

EN 24920 – Rain penetration and water repellency

Pros:

Realistic simulation of rainfall conditions

Evaluates surface and initial penetration

Cons:

Requires large sample area

Setup more complex than static methods

How to Choose the Right Penetration & Permeability Tester

Identify the type of penetration needed

Liquid: Hydrostatic pressure, water column, rainfall simulator, liquid penetration tester

Gas/air: Air permeability, gas permeability

Consider your application

Protective clothing & PPE → Hydrostatic & liquid penetration

Outdoor & technical fabrics → Spray rating, rainfall simulator, water column

Industrial filters & membranes → Gas permeability, burst testers

Check for international and domestic standard compliance

ISO / EN / ASTM / AATCC / GB/T

Critical for certification, exports, and quality assurance

Budget & throughput

Small labs: Air permeability, spray rating, water column

Medium labs: Hydrostatic head, liquid penetration

High-end labs: Rainfall simulators, gas permeability testers

Maintenance & consumables

Consumables: Seals, filters, pads

Hydrostatic/high-pressure instruments require regular calibration and safety procedures

Why Choose QINSUN

QINSUN specializes in penetration and permeability testing instruments for textiles, membranes, protective clothing, geotextiles, and industrial filters. We provide customized laboratory solutions, worldwide delivery, technical support, and training, ensuring reliable testing for R&D, production, and quality control.

2025-11-19 11:01