Water Repellency Tester

Water Repellency Tester measures the resistance of fabrics to wetting by water. B-Tex
Engineering offers you Water Repellency Tester which is of high quality and reliable.
Water Repellency Tester is used to check the water repellency of the fabric by spray test
in textile testing laboratory. Suitable for Table cloth, tapestry, flooring material fabric
manufacturer or processors.
Water repellency test method is applicable to any textile fabric, which may or may not
have been given a water-repellent finish. It is very necessary for a manufacturer to test
the water repellency ability of the fabric. This method is especially suited for measuring
the water-repellent efficacy of finishes applied to fabrics.
The water repellency ability of the fabric is tested with spray test. The Evaluation of the
test is visual appreciation of the surface of the fabric (number of absorption points on the
surface). It is very important to test the repellency of a garment worn in foul weather
conditions. The more the repellency more comfortable the fabric will be during use. The

repellency tends to decrease during washing, so a re-impregnation of a water repellent

product is advised.

Features of Water Repellency Tester:

The tester is suitable for measuring the water-repellent efficiency of finishes

applied to fabrics, particularly plain woven fabrics.

Evaluation is accomplished by comparing the wetted pattern with pictures on a

standard chart.
Specifications of Water Repellency Tester:
Over all Dimensions of the Unit
: 25cm x 30cm x 55cm
Water Repellency Tester Confirms with following international standards:
AATCC 22, ISO 4920
How

Water

Repellency

Tester

Works?

Before testing is carried out the specimen shall be conditioned for at least 24hours in the
standard atmosphere. Water sprayed against the taut surface of a test specimen under
controlled conditions produces a wetted pattern whose size depends on the relative
repellency of the fabric.

To carry out the test, first of all fasten the test specimens securely in the metal
hoop of the water repellency tester so that it represents a smooth wrinkle free surface
and place it face up on the tester.

Adjust the metal hoop so that the centre of the spray coincides with the centre of
the metal hoop. Later pour 250 ml of distilled water at normal temperature into the
funnel and spray the whole quantity on the test specimen for a period of 25 - 30 sec.

Now detach the metal hoop from the stand. Confirm whether water had penetrated
to the back of the test specimen. With the face side of the test specimen down, hold
the metal hoop by one edge and tap the opposite edge lightly once against the table.

Then rotate it 180C and similarly tap again once on the point previously held to
remove any excess water drop.

The final step is to compare the wetting of the test specimen with a photographic
rating standard and grade it accordingly.

Bundesmann Water Repellency Test

The Bundesmann test aims to produce the effect of a rainstorm on a fabric in the
laboratory. Water repellency test is done by Bundesmann test. In the test
shown in Fig. the fabric is subjected to a shower of water from a head fitted with
a large number of standard nozzles. During the shower the back of the fabric is
rubbed by a special mechanism which is intended to simulate the flexing effect
which takes place when the fabric is worn.

The Bundesmann shower test.

The method is not currently a British standard because considerable variation

has been found between different machines, although when tests are carried
out on the same machine the variability can be reduced to acceptable levels.
In the test four specimens are mounted over cups in which a spring loaded wiper
rubs the back of the cloth while the whole cup assembly slowly rotates. They are

subjected for l0 min to a heavy shower whose rate has been adjusted so as to
deliver 65ml of water per minute to each cup. The water flow is maintained at
2O0C and between pH 6 and 8. Because of the large amount of water consumed
the equipment has to be connected to the mains water supply which leads to
difficulties in keeping the water temperature constant. The shower is calculated to
have a kinetic energy 5.8 times that of a cloudburst, 90 times that for heavy rain,
480 times that for moderate rain and 21,000 times that for light rain.

Two fabric parameters are determined from the

test:
1 Penetration of water through the fabric: the water collected in the cups is
measured
to
the
nearest
ml.
2 Absorption of water by the fabric: in order to do this the specimen is
weighed before the test and then after the shower. To remove excess water the
fabric is shaken ten times using a mechanical shaker and then weighed in an
airtight container: