FEC Tear testing measures the force required to continue the tearing of an initial cut in sheet materials. Models and weights are available to test material with a variety of strengths. This is also useful to evaluate strength of perforated materials.
Also known as the Elmendorf test, the tearing test has been performed in the paper industry for more than half century in order to measure the mean internal resistance of cellulose or papers to the propagation of a deliberately initiated tear. It enables rapid determination of the dynamic resistance of materials designed to be subjected to strong shearing loads (e.g. newspaper) or liable to be damaged by sharp or heavy objects (e.g. paper bags, seat belts, fabric, protective clothing).
Subsequently, the test was naturally adopted for all materials in the form of sheet or films, cardboard, cloth, knitted fabrics, plastic films, aluminum foil, non-woven fabrics, complex flexible packaging etc. for which the service requirements are similar to those for paper.