BS EN ISO 811:2018

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BSI Standards Publication

Textiles - Determination of resistance to water

penetration - Hydrostatic pressure test
 BS EN ISO 811:2018 BRITISH STANDARD

National foreword
This British Standard is the UK implementation of EN ISO 811:2018.
It is identical to ISO 811:2018. It supersedes BS EN 20811:1992, which
is withdrawn.
The UK participation in its preparation was entrusted to Technical
Committee TCI/24, Physical testing of textiles.
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A list of organizations represented on this committee can be obtained on

request to its secretary.
This publication does not purport to include all the necessary provisions
of a contract. Users are responsible for its correct application.
© The British Standards Institution 2018
Published by BSI Standards Limited 2018
ISBN 978 0 580 84862 9
ICS 59.080.30
Compliance with a British Standard cannot confer immunity from
legal obligations.
This British Standard was published under the authority of the
Standards Policy and Strategy Committee on 31 May 2018.

Amendments/corrigenda issued since publication

Date Text affected
 BS EN ISO 811:2018

EUROPEAN STANDARD EN ISO 811

NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM May 2018

ICS 59.080.30 Supersedes EN 20811:1992

English Version
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Textiles - Determination of resistance to water penetration

- Hydrostatic pressure test (ISO 811:2018)
Textiles - Détermination de la résistance à la Textilien - Bestimmung des Widerstandes gegen das
pénétration de l'eau - Essai sous pression Durchdringen von Wasser - Hydrostatischer
hydrostatique (ISO 811:2018) Druckversuch (ISO 811:2018)

This European Standard was approved by CEN on 15 March 2018.

CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this
European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references
concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN
member.

This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by
translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management
Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Turkey and United Kingdom.

EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION

COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION
EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels

© 2018 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN ISO 811:2018 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.
 BS EN ISO 811:2018
EN ISO 811:2018 (E)

European foreword

This document (EN ISO 811:2018) has been prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 38 “Textiles” in
collaboration with Technical Committee CEN/TC 248 “Textiles and textile products” the secretariat of
which is held by BSI.

This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an
identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by November 2018, and conflicting national standards
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shall be withdrawn at the latest by November 2018.

Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.

This document supersedes EN 20811:1992.

According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organizations of the
following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,
Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta,
Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Turkey and the United Kingdom.

Endorsement notice

The text of ISO 811:2018 has been approved by CEN as EN ISO 811:2018 without any modification.

3
 BS EN ISO 811:2018
ISO 811:2018(E)


Contents Page

Foreword......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... iv
1 Scope.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1
2 Normative references....................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
3 Terms and definitions...................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
4 Principle......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
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5 Reagents......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
6 Apparatus...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 2
7 Atmosphere for conditioning and testing................................................................................................................................... 2
8 Test specimen........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
9 Test procedure......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
10 Calculations and expression of results.......................................................................................................................................... 4
11 Test report.................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Bibliography................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 5

© ISO 2018 – All rights reserved  iii

 BS EN ISO 811:2018
ISO 811:2018(E)


Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
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The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www​.iso​.org/​directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www​.iso​.org/​patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation on the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the
World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see the following
URL: www​.iso​.org/​iso/​foreword​.html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 38, Textiles, Subcommittee SC 2, Cleansing,
finishing and water resistance tests.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO 811:1981).
The main changes to the previous edition are as follows:
— the first element of the title changed from Textile fabrics to Textiles to be in line with other TC 38/SC 2
documents;
— in the Scope, clarification that the applicability of the method is intended for water resistant fabrics;
— major editorial changes were made throughout the document to bring it up to date.

iv  © ISO 2018 – All rights reserved

 BS EN ISO 811:2018
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 811:2018(E)

Textiles — Determination of resistance to water

penetration — Hydrostatic pressure test

1 Scope
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This document specifies a hydrostatic pressure method for determining the resistance of fabrics to
penetration by water. The method is applicable to all types of fabrics which are intended to be water
resistant whether or not they have been given a water-resistant or water-repellent finish.

2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 139, Textiles — Standard atmospheres for conditioning and testing
ISO 3696, Water for analytical laboratory use — Specification and test methods

3 Terms and definitions

For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://​w ww​.iso​.org/​obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at http://​w ww​.electropedia​.org/​
3.1
face
fabric surface intended to be the outer visible side in an end product

4 Principle
The hydrostatic head supported by a fabric is a measure of the opposition to the passage of water
through the fabric. A specimen is subjected to a steadily increasing pressure of water on one side of the
fabric, under standard conditions, until penetration occurs in three places. The pressure at which the
water penetrates the fabric at the third place is noted. The water pressure may be applied from below
or from above the test specimen. The chosen alternative shall be stated in the test report.
The result is immediately relevant to the behaviour of fabric articles which are subjected to water
pressure for short or moderate periods of time.

5 Reagents

5.1 Water, grade 3 water in accordance with ISO 3696.

The water is in contact with the test specimen at either 20 °C ± 2 °C or 27 °C ± 2 °C. The chosen alternative
shall be stated in the test report. (The use of water at the higher temperature will yield lower values of
hydrostatic head; the magnitude of this effect may vary from fabric to fabric.)

© ISO 2018 – All rights reserved  1

 BS EN ISO 811:2018
ISO 811:2018(E)


6 Apparatus
The usual laboratory apparatus and, in particular, the following.

6.1 Fabric clamp.

It should be possible to clamp the specimen of fabric in such a way that

a) it is horizontal and is not bulging;
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b) an area of the fabric of 10 000 mm2 (100 cm2) is subjected to steadily increasing water pressure
from below or from above the fabric;
c) no leakage of water takes place at the clamps during the test period;
d) the specimen does not slip in the clamps;
e) any tendency for penetration to occur at the clamped edge of the specimen is minimized.
With some forms of apparatus, it is recommended that the clamps are faced with a suitable grade of
rubber. It can be helpful to use a sealing wax around the clamps to help prevent water from leaking.

6.2 Mechanism for measuring the increase in water pressure.

The rate of increase of water pressure shall be 10 cm H2O/min ± 0,5 cm H2O/min or 60 cm H2O/min
± 3 cm H2O/min (9,8 mbar H2O/min ± 0,5 mbar H2O/min or 58,8 mbar H2O/min ± 2,9 mbar H2O/min).
Results obtained by different rates may not be the same. The chosen alternative rate shall be stated in
the test report.
NOTE The higher rate of increase of water pressure is more applicable when testing fabrics with high water
resistance.

6.3 Manometer (for manual types of equipment that are not electronic).

The accuracy of the manometer, if used, shall be stated in the test report. If used, the following
conditions apply.
a) It is necessary to provide a manometer of suitable range.
1) A manometer which provides for pressures up to 1 m H2O is suitable for fabrics similar in
construction to gabardines.
2) For fabrics of closer construction, it is advisable to use a manometer which provides for
pressures up to 2 m H2O.
b) If more than one testing head is used in conjunction with the manometer, means shall be provided
for separately disconnecting them. This is to prevent a high rate of leakage through test specimens
already penetrated at three places. With most forms of apparatus, such a leakage can markedly
reduce the rate of increase of pressure on the remaining specimens still under test.

7 Atmosphere for conditioning and testing

Conditioning and testing shall be carried out according to ISO 139. If so agreed, conditioning and testing
may be carried out in the ambient temperature.
The presence of vapours of volatile organic liquids, such as diethyl ether, in the laboratory when this
test is being carried out can affect the results.

2  © ISO 2018 – All rights reserved

 BS EN ISO 811:2018
ISO 811:2018(E)


8 Test specimen
After receipt, handle the fabric as little as possible, avoid folding it sharply and do not treat it in any way
(e.g. by ironing it) other than by conditioning.
Take at least five test specimens from different places in the fabric so that they do not contain the
same yarns and represent the material as fully as possible. The fabric may be tested without cutting
specimens.
Areas with deep creases or fold marks shall not be tested.
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9 Test procedure

9.1 Provide freshly distilled water (5.1) for each specimen tested.

If the instrument used is of the type in which the water to be used for testing is contained in the testing
head(s) and rises to come into contact with the specimen, the surface of the water in the testing head(s)
may be cleaned in one of the following ways, stated in order of preference.
a) Empty the testing head(s) and refill with sufficient freshly distilled water.
b) Allow the distilled water to overflow from the testing head(s) so that the surface of the water is
cleared. Sweep the surface of the water with a glass slide freshly coated with paraffin wax.
c) Allow the distilled water to overflow from the testing head(s) so that the surface of the water is
cleared.

9.2 Wipe all the water from the clamping surfaces. Clamp (6.1) the conditioned specimen in the test
head so that the face of the fabric will be in contact with the water. The clamping shall be carried out
in such a way that water will not be forced through the specimen prior to the start of the test. Subject
the specimen immediately to increasing water pressure (6.2). Watch continuously for evidence of
penetration by water.

9.3 Record the pressure, as centimetres or millibars of water, at which water first appears at the third
place in the specimen. If agreed between parties, the appearance of the first drop can be reported and
shall be stated in the test report. The accuracy for recording the pressure shall be as noted in Table 1.

Table 1 — Accuracy for recording the pressure

Pressure range Pressure accuracy
< 1 m H 2O 0,5 cm H2O
(< 98 mbar H2O) (0,5 mbar H2O)
≥ 1 m H2O and ≤ 2 m 1 cm H2O
(≥ 98,1 mbar H2O and ≤ 196 mbar H2O) (1 mbar H2O)
> 2 m H 2O 2 cm H2O
(> 196 mbar H2O) (2 mbar H2O)
NOTE     The pressure of the apparatus is generally expressed in cm H2O or mbar H2O. The SI unit, Pa (Pascal), is unusual
for this test.

9.4 Do not take into account very fine droplets which do not grow after being formed. Count subsequent
drops which penetrate through the same place in the fabric as one drop. Note whether the penetration
of water occurs at the edge of the clamp and reject as unsatisfactory any test in which such penetration
occurs. Test further specimens until reproducible results are obtained.

If this procedure is used for quality control or to support broad product claims for barrier properties
used in protective clothing, proper statistical design and analysis of larger data sets than those

© ISO 2018 – All rights reserved  3

 BS EN ISO 811:2018
ISO 811:2018(E)


specified in this test method should be performed. Examples of acceptable sampling plans are found in
references such as ISO 2859-1.

10 Calculations and expression of results.

Calculate the mean of the pressures recorded for the specimens tested according to 9.3. Report the
individual results and the mean result in centimetres or millibars of water.

11 Test report
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The test report shall include the following information:

a) reference to this document;
b) the atmosphere used (standard temperate or standard tropical or other atmosphere);
c) the temperature of the water (20 °C or 27 °C or other temperature);
d) whether the water pressure was applied from below or from above the test specimen;
e) the rate of increase of water pressure, (10 H2O or 60 cm H2O/min);
f) which side of the fabric was tested, if not the face;
g) any variation in size or shape of the test specimen;
h) the individual results and their mean;
i) any deviations from the given procedure;
j) the accuracy of the manometer, if used;
k) the pressure at which water first appears if other than the third place;
l) date of the test.

4  © ISO 2018 – All rights reserved

 BS EN ISO 811:2018
ISO 811:2018(E)


Bibliography

[1] ISO 2859-1, Sampling procedures for inspection by attributes — Part 1: Sampling schemes indexed
by acceptance quality limit (AQL) for lot-by-lot inspection
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