There is no doubt that rubber is one of the more resilient materials used in manufacturing right now. However, just as with any material, rubber is not impervious to damage from constant wear and tear.
Thus, it becomes necessary to determine the strength of rubber before it is applied for any purpose. This is where investing on an NBS Abrasion Tester becomes an important decision. But, before deciding on purchasing one, it would be better if you could understand the process first.
What Is the NBS Abrasion Test?
Like other rubber abrasion tests, the NBS procedure follows the same concept of placing a test material on the surface of a rotating drum covered with abrasive material and then gauging its strength by how much volume it retains. However, what’s unique about the NBS procedure is that it was specifically designed to test materials with a thickness of at least 2.5 millimeters or 0.1 inches.
This means that the test is ideal for vulcanized rubber, as well as those used in footwear. The rationale behind this procedure is that thick rubber is expected to withstand a lot of stress and friction when in use. Essentially, rubber of this grade is much thicker and denser than standard polyurethane rubber. This allows them to retain more volume under friction.
Thus, the resistance to rubber abrasion for these materials cannot be properly gauged if the test parameters used in procedures like the DIN method were to be applied. Instead, a more abrasive sheet would be used to test the material’s strength. This way, it is exposed to longer and more intense revolutions.
The Test Procedure
The NBS Abrasion Test follows roughly the same processes as other rubber abrasion tests.
A. Material Preparation
The test requires for the sample to have a 1 inch by 1 inch size and a thickness of 0.25 inches at most. If the material is too thin, it can be plied up with equally thin materials of the same composition. This would still allow for accurate test results.
If the sample is to be derived from a finished product, the surface has to be buffed and cleaned to meet test specifications. Also, every non-essential materials for the test like fabric and any treatment on the surface like adhesives must be removed.
B. Machine Calibration
The NBS Abrasion Tester must be cleaned of any debris left from previous tests. This is to prevent foreign objects from entering into the machinery that would affect the tester’s functions. The arms holding the test sample should be checked to determine if they can secure the sample while the drum is revolving.
The abrasive sheet would then be mounted to the drum through adhesives. However, unused sheets might be more abrasive than used ones. As a precaution, the operator must mount a metal test piece and let it run through the sheet for 500 revolutions. This should soften the surface of the sheet, enough to make the test accurate.
C. Test Proper
Once the materials are prepared, the operator will then mount the sample on the NBS Abrasion Tester, and set the rotation speed and number of revolutions. What the operator must then do at that point is to make sure that the sample always makes contact with the abrasive sheet as the drum spins.
There are instances when the sample might break or chatter on the test block. This would lead to an unreliable result. This is why the operator must have prepared at least 5 other similar samples. They should also conduct the test at least 5 times for each sample to ensure that the results are accurate and compelling.
Reliably Using the NBS Abrasion Tester
The NBS Abrasion test should make for a rather reliable procedure to test the quality of hard rubber. It is worth considering the following:
1. Unreliability with Other Rubber Classes
Due to the higher set of parameters used in the machine, the NBS abrasion test is only ideal to gauge vulcanized rubber abrasion resistance. It is a rather unreliable test procedure when materials that differ greatly from the reference compound is used.
For instance, the NBS tester can easily grind through thin polyurethane materials within a few short revolutions. In essence, any material that is thinner or weaker than vulcanized rubber will sustain massive volume loss under the test, resulting in failure.
2. High Tendency for Chattering
Since the test material is being applied to the drum through downward force, there is a chance that the sample will bounce frequently through the test. This is what is called chattering, and it indicates that the material is not “sliding” through the surface. Instead it consistently skips several inches off the abrasive sheet.
A single instance of chattering might still yield some usable data. However, multiple instances of chattering occurring for the same sample type should be treated as a failure.
3. Extensive Material Preparation Time
Prior to using the NBS Abrasion Tester, the operator must make sure that the test material fits the specifications of the procedure. If the material is derived from a finished product, this will include cutting the sample, and removing any treatment applied to it like protective film and adhesives.
The operator must even check for imperfections in the sample’s test surface like voids or pores as these would lead to inaccuracies in the test. In essence, it would take at least half a day for a sample material to be ready for testing.
Uncategorized2 Feb 2026Why Material Test Results Fail Audits: Equipment-Related Root Causes Labs OverlookIf your lab has ever been told “your equipment is calibrated” and still walked out of an ISO/IEC 17025 or customer audit with findings, you’re not alone. Calibration certificates are important, but they’re not the same thing as audit readiness. Auditors aren’t only checking whether a sticker is current — they’re looking for evidence that your measurement system remains reliable between calibrations, that your equipment is fit for the way you use it, and that your data can be trusted end-to-end. That’s where many labs get caught. A force system can be calibrated and still drift under real operating conditions. A test frame can meet force requirements while quietly introducing displacement error through compliance. A perfectly good load cell can...Read the articleUncategorized28 Nov 2025Why Cheap Testing Machines Become Expensive Over TimeAt first glance, the offer may sound reasonable. The machine looks almost new, the price is far below market, and the seller insists it works perfectly. For many companies, especially under budget pressure, the savings seem too good to pass up. But testing equipment is not something you can cut corners on without consequences. It’s not a secondary tool. It’s the foundation of quality control. When testing fails, mistakes follow, often with much greater impact. At NextGen Material Testing, we work with clients who face this every day. Some bought discounted machines that appeared reliable at first. Later, the problems started. Readings turned out to be false. Test results were rejected. In some cases, entire production lots were compromised. This...Read the articleUncategorized20 Nov 2025Why Calibration Certificates Matter More Than You ThinkIn many production environments, calibration certificates are seen as optional paperwork. Internal labs often run tests using their own machines, assuming accuracy by default. This mindset is common where companies aim to cut costs or avoid downtime. But skipping proper calibration creates silent risks. Measurements drift. Tolerances tighten. One missed verification can lead to failed audits, rejected batches, or even lost contracts. If a customer asks for traceable results and you can’t provide proof, the deal is gone. If a regulator inspects your equipment and finds outdated documents, your operations stop. These aren’t rare scenarios. They happen more often than most teams expect. That’s why valid calibration isn’t just a box to tick. It’s a...Read the articleUncategorized12 Nov 2025Equipment Maintenance in Material Testing: Why It Cannot Be IgnoredFor many manufacturers, test equipment is treated as a one-time investment. It arrives calibrated, runs properly, and quietly performs its tasks in the background. That is, until the first unexpected malfunction forces production to stop. Neglecting maintenance rarely creates problems overnight. Instead, it builds invisible risks: undetected wear in actuators, drift in load cells, outdated software, and missing calibration records. When these risks surface, they do so at the worst possible time — during certification audits, customer validation, or peak production cycles. What initially looked like a cost-saving decision quickly turns into an expensive recovery process. Retesting, rescheduling, replacing damaged components, or losing product batches...Read the articleUncategorized28 Oct 2025Portable On-Site Material Testing: What It Is and How It WorksMaterial testing often brings to mind sterile labs and rows of machines operated by experts in coats. Precision matters, and controlled environments help deliver it. Still, not all testing happens behind glass doors. Increasingly, it’s done right where materials are used: at construction sites, along pipelines, or inside factories. This is called portable on-site material testing, sometimes referred to as field or mobile testing. The idea is simple: bring the tools to the job instead of sending samples away. Using portable devices, technicians can measure strength, composition, or defects on the spot, whether it’s checking a steel beam, analyzing soil, or verifying welds. Results come faster, decisions follow sooner. In this article, we’ll look at...Read the articleUncategorized18 Oct 2025Macrohardness vs. Microhardness Testing: What They Are and How They WorkIf you've worked with hardness testing, you've likely come across the terms "microhardness" and "macrohardness." They show up in datasheets, testing specs, and lab reports. Still, it's not always clear what separates the two — or when one is better than the other. Both belong to a broader category known as indentation hardness testing, a method used to assess how materials respond to pressure from a sharp or rounded object. Microhardness and macrohardness approaches were developed to deal with very different scales and sample types, from polished coatings to structural steel. At first glance, the difference seems simple. But there's more to it than load size or indent depth. This article breaks down what micro- and macrohardness testing actually...Read the articleUncategorized10 Oct 2025Meet NG-AutoPol – Automatic Longitudinal Polisher for Tensile SpecimensHaving trouble achieving consistent surface finishes on your tensile or fatigue specimens? Even the most precise machining can leave subtle marks and residual stresses that influence test results. When every micron matters, surface preparation becomes more than just a step — it defines the reliability of your data. That’s where NG-AutoPol comes in. This automatic longitudinal polisher system brings precision, repeatability, and ease of use into one complete solution. Designed for both cylindrical and flat tensile specimens, it minimizes residual stress and provides a uniform finish for accurate tensile and fatigue testing. In this article, we’ll take you through everything you need to know about the NG-AutoPol — what longitudinal polishing systems...Read the articleUncategorized19 Sep 2025Meet GenElm: Elmendorf Tearing Tester for Films, Paper, and TextilesIf your laboratory has been looking for a dependable Elmendorf tearing tester for films, paper, textiles, nonwovens, or thin foils, we have important news. Our equipment line has expanded with a system built to measure tear resistance for both research and daily quality control. We are introducing the GenElm Series Elmendorf Tearing Tester, available in 64 N and 128 N models. This instrument meets international testing standards and provides the technical capabilities that modern laboratories require. This overview looks at the GenElm Series from several sides: how the Elmendorf method works, what the system offers in features and specifications, and the materials and standards it is designed to work with. What The Elmendorf Method Measures The...Read the articleUncategorized31 Aug 2025The Process of Certification for Mechanical Material Testing EquipmentMechanical testing machines such as tensile testers, hardness systems, and impact testers form the backbone of material evaluation. Industries rely on them to confirm strength, durability, and performance. Yet one key question arises: how do we know these machines are giving results we can actually trust? The answer lies in certification. When a testing system is certified, its accuracy and consistency are confirmed against recognized standards like ASTM, ISO, or EN. Some machines leave the factory already certified, while others require additional verification over time to stay compliant with international requirements. The following sections outline how certification is carried out in practice, from the principles behind it to regional frameworks...Read the article