ASTM D4060 tests the wear resistance of organic coatings with a Taber grinder. This type of test method was introduced around the 1930s to perform accelerated wear tests. Its simplicity and effectiveness make the device widely used in multiple test protocols and specifications for a wide variety of products around the world.

The test performed according to ASTM D4060 involves mounting a flat sample onto a turntable that rotates horizontally at a fixed speed. The two arms are then lowered, each supporting a grinding wheel so that each wheel touches the surface. Before starting the test, the “suction arm” is lowered between the wheels to remove worn material from the sample surface. The turntable then begins to spin, forcing the wheel to act on friction and wear relative to the sample surface for a specified number of cycles, either until a given quality of coating has been lost or until the wheel begins to expose the substrate.

ASTM D4060-0 “Standard Test Method for Determining the Wear Resistance of Organic Coatings using Tabor Abrasion Tester”

Use of ASTM D4060 and factors to consider

ASTM D4060 is used to measure the wear resistance of organic coatings and is applied to flat, rigid test samples. ASTM D1044 is used for transparent plastic materials to evaluate their ability to maintain their optical properties under the typical wear expected when used.

The wear resistance of ASTM D4060 is usually measured in terms of weight or coating thickness loss after a given number of cycles. By default, each arm loads 250 gigabytes. The pressure on each wheel. Depending on the product/specification used, this weight can be increased to 500g or 1000g. Grinding wheels have different sand grains and can be used for more or less grinding.

ASTM D4060-0 “Standard Test Method for Determining the Wear Resistance of Organic Coatings using Tabor Abrasion Tester”

Typical experimental parameters

Sample/product quantity: 2 samples

Sample size: 4 “X 4”, maximum thickness 6-7 mm

Adjustment and test temperature: 23±2°C

Adjust and test relative humidity: 50± 5%