No stress – Embrace lead the pack in building wrap pull testing
Here at Embrace Building Wraps we pride ourselves on the highest levels of detail and quality given to every installation that we deliver for our clients. The quality of print and install is naturally of extreme importance at street level, but health and safety are our number one priority.
When it comes to industry standards, we have Constructionline Gold Level 3 accreditation, SafeContractor SSIP & PAS91 Safe PQQ Certification along with 26 written policies, statements, and procedures – but even this is not enough in our book!
We audit the flexible print substrates that we use with print & pull tests on the finished article to confirm that our clients’ installations can withstand extreme weather conditions and anything else that may come their way.
When we conduct pull tests we place finished samples measuring 1.5 m x 1 m under considerable stress testing. The tests cover all elements such as the joins of the printed sections that ultimately form the one giant wrap on site, along with the perimeter heat sealed webbing, Keder edges and metal eyelets. All of the materials that ensure our building and scaffold wraps are secure during the period of display are tested for suitability and durability.
Our pull tests methodology involves the following:
- A forklift truck to create the tension and loadings
- A Tractel 5T Dynafor Model LLX5 Digital load indicator monitor to measure the tensile force tolerance in kilograms before any element fails
- Straps, carabiners and scaffold poles to evenly distribute the load and to replicate as close as possible – on the ground – our scaffold frame install methodology
- The printed & fully finished banner attached with the other end to a very heavy skip as the anchor to generate the resistance
The process involves the test banner being slowly tensioned as the forklift pulls away slowly, replicating enormous stress loads that the wind can exert on our wraps. When one the elements fails, we record the break point. On average across the flexible print substrates products we use our results demonstrate our joins do not split in the middle and on average the banners took an enormous 774 kg pull stress before a fail.
- Solid PVC Vision Coated FR 850Kg – bottom line join
- Solid PVC Vistaflex Premium 450 850Kg – top line join
- Solid non PVC Kavalan Sunlight 922kg – bottom line join
- Mesh PVC Seemee Supreme B3124 720Kg – bottom line join
- Mesh Ultraflex Premium 328 700Kg – top line join
To give added peace of mind when our wraps are installed on site every edge of the perimeter is secured so in the extremely unlikely event that one edge does fail then the other three will take up the slack! As you can see, we never cut corners and invest in quality of manufacture of our wraps to ensure the integrity and safety of our client’s scaffold and building wrap installs.
