The shock tube as a tool for dynamic testing of fabrics

Specimens of fabric and Mylar were loaded to failure both statically and dynamically. Static tests were accomplished by pressurizing the specimens and dynamic tests were conducted by firing a shock tube. The results of the study indicate that seam efficiency is degraded by dynamic loads and that a need exists to investigate a seaming procedure which gives an optimum dynamic efficiency. The study also illustrates the lack of correspondence between static and dynamic breaking strengths thereby indicating that fabrics which have dynamic applications should be evaluated using dynamic testing procedures such as the shock tube loading used in the present program.