The Relationship Between Tensile Strength at Break and Abrasion Resistance of PVC Coated Fabrics

In daily life, we encounter a large number of outdoor products, transportation equipment, and industrial products that utilize PVC coated fabrics. This material is popular due to its excellent durability and relatively low cost. However, few people know that there is a complex and close relationship between its tensile strength at break and abrasion resistance.

The Foundation of Fabric Durability

Tensile strength at break refers to the maximum tensile deformation a material can withstand before breaking; it reflects the material's flexibility and ductility. Abrasion resistance, on the other hand, refers to the coating's ability to resist scratches and abrasion, directly affecting the coating's durability and its protective effect on the substrate. PVC coated fabrics are composite materials made by coating a base fabric with a PVC mixture slurry. Paste-like polyvinyl chloride resin is the main raw material. This material system determines the basic performance characteristics of PVC coated fabrics. Studies have shown that PVC coated fabrics have good abrasion resistance, but there is an interactive relationship between their tensile strength at break and abrasion resistance that requires careful balancing.

In daily life, we can see PVC coated fabrics widely used in outdoor equipment, transportation, construction, tourism, and many other fields. For example, PVC-coated fabrics are widely used in common outdoor tents, truck tarpaulins, and portable storage containers.

The Intrinsic Relationship Between Tensile Strength at Break and Abrasion Resistance

From a materials science perspective, tensile strength at break and abrasion resistance are not isolated properties; they influence each other through multiple mechanisms. When PVC-coated fabrics are subjected to external abrasion, a series of physicochemical changes occur on their surface, affecting both tensile and abrasion resistance.

The elasticity of the coating is one of the key factors influencing these two properties. It determines the strain the coating can withstand without permanent deformation. Generally, materials with good elasticity can better disperse wear stress, thus reducing surface damage. However, excessive elasticity may lead to insufficient material hardness, which in turn reduces abrasion resistance.

Research shows that the cohesiveness and tensile strength of the coating also significantly affect these two properties. A successful abrasion-resistant coating needs to withstand high loads, provide low friction, and must not exhibit cohesive fracture or lose adhesion to the substrate. This means that only when the coating has an appropriate balance of cohesiveness can good tensile strength at break and abrasion resistance be guaranteed simultaneously.

The abrasion resistance of PVC coated fabrics is typically tested using a sandpaper abrasion method, assessing the resistance by measuring the mass loss rate of the coating during the abrasion process. Research data shows that the mass loss rate of pure PVC coated fabrics is approximately 4.55%, while coated fabrics reinforced using specific methods can reduce this figure to 1.16%–1.60%, significantly improving abrasion resistance.

Conclusion

Selecting suitable PVC coated fabrics essentially involves finding the optimal balance between tensile strength at break and abrasion resistance for specific applications. This balance determines whether the product can operate reliably within its expected service life and withstand the test of real-world usage environments.