Tensile test

The maximum tensile stress a material can withstand before failure, determined by pulling a specimen to rupture in a tensile test. It is one of the most widely quoted mechanical properties on datasheets for metals, plastics, laminates and membranes.

A measure of a material's stiffness, defined as the ratio of stress to strain in the elastic region of loading. A higher modulus means less deflection under a given load; for plastics and composites it is typically measured in tension to ISO 527.

The strain at which a specimen ruptures in a tensile test, expressed as a percentage of its original length. High values indicate a ductile or flexible material such as an elastomeric roofing membrane, while rigid laminates typically fail at low elongation.

Mechanical or physical testing of small standardised specimens, known as coupons, cut from a laminate, panel or production sample rather than testing the full component. Coupon results underpin material qualification, design allowables and batch quality control in composites manufacture.

A test in which a beam specimen is loaded in bending, usually in a three-point or four-point arrangement, to determine flexural strength and flexural modulus. Common methods include ISO 178 and ASTM D790 for plastics and ISO 14125 for fibre-reinforced composites.