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Understanding the Manual Friction Tester
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Understanding the Manual Friction Tester

2025-07-25

1. Definition of Manual Friction Tester
The Manual Friction Tester is a portable testing instrument that simulates friction action through manual operation and is used to evaluate the wear resistance and anti-friction performance (such as discoloration, wear, breakage, etc.) of the material surface. It is widely used in the textile, printing, leather, coating, plastic and other industries, and is a basic tool for judging the friction resistance of materials in actual use.D003(1)

2. Working principle of manual friction tester
The core is "simulating actual friction scenarios": by manually controlling the friction head (installing specific friction media, such as cotton cloth, wool, sandpaper, etc.), applying a preset pressure on the sample surface, and after a certain number of reciprocating/rotating frictions, observing the changes on the sample surface (such as the degree of color transfer to the friction medium, surface wear marks), so as to quantify the friction performance of the material (such as color fastness, wear resistance level).D003(2)

3. Manual friction tester structure
The manual friction tester has a simple structure and mainly includes the following components:
Base: used to place and fix the sample to ensure that the sample does not move during the test.
Friction head: install the friction medium (select according to the test requirements, such as dry cotton cloth, wet cotton cloth, sandpaper, etc.), directly contacting the sample surface.
Pressure adjustment device: control the pressure of the friction head on the sample (usually adjusted by weights or knobs, the common pressure is 200g-1000g, which must meet industry standards).
Counting device: records the number of frictions (mostly manual counting or simple mechanical counters, some models require manual recording).
Sample fixing device: such as clamps, pressure plates or Velcro, used to fix samples of different materials (such as cloth, leather, plates, etc.) to prevent displacement during friction.
Friction stroke limiter: Some models are equipped with guide rails or rulers to limit the friction range of the friction head (such as the stroke length of reciprocating friction, usually 10-100mm).

4. Manual friction tester operation steps
The operation must strictly follow the industry standards (such as GB/T 3920 for textiles, ISO 105-X12 for printed materials, etc.), the steps are as follows:
Sample preparation: Cut the sample into standard size and fix it flat on the base (avoid wrinkles or looseness).
Friction medium selection: Select the friction medium according to the test type (such as dry cotton cloth for dry friction, cotton cloth with 80%-100% water content for wet friction), and fix it on the friction head.
Parameter setting:
Adjust pressure: set pressure by weight or knob; determine the number of frictions.
Manual friction: hold the friction head and rub the sample at a constant speed in the preset direction (reciprocating or rotating) while counting.
Result evaluation:
Color fastness: use grayscale card to compare the color residue on the friction medium;
Abrasion resistance: observe the wear area and depth of the sample surface, or weigh and compare the quality difference before and after friction.