Abstract

An abrasion machine used in conjunction with recent wear trials of sole leathers was found to give good correlation with wear when specimens were tested in the dry, conditioned state under an appropriate load. Further experiments have been made with this machine to establish how it should best be used. To obtain reproducible results the same fraction of the thick ness should be abraded away in every specimen tested, and this fraction should be as close to 100°% as is practicable. Carborunduns coated abrasive cloth can be used for the abrasion of many specimens of ordinary leathers before it becomes appreciably blunted and needs replacing, but impregnat ed leathers cause clogging of abrasive, and no way of avoiding this has been found, except by using fresh abrasive for each impregnated specimen. Tests with a different abrasive confirm that wet tests with this machine give poorer correlation with actual wear than do dry tests.