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Elcometer 506 Pull-Off Adhesion Tester

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The Elcometer 506 are lightweight, portable and easy-to-use adhesion testers available in analogue or digital gauges and are suitable for measuring the pull-off adhesion of coatings up to 50MPa (7250psi) either on-site, or in the laboratory.

The design of the Elcometer 506 adhesion testers ensures that a uniform force can be easily applied throughout the range by smoothly rotating the gauge's crank handle, ensuring repeatable adhesion results to an accuracy of ±1%.

The Elcometer 506 adhesion tester's quick connect coupling allows the simple attachment of 14.2mm, 20mm or 50mm diameter dollies which, together with a wide range of accessories, allows coating adhesion testing on flat, curved, thick and thin substrates - including metal, wood, concrete and other fibrous materials.

The Elcometer 506 test head (actuator) has been designed to be small, ergonomic and lightweight – ideal for single handed testing of coating adhesion even in awkward or confined spaces.

Safe adhesion testing on vertical surfaces has also been considered. Using the magnetic clamp accessory the actuator is held securely - preventing accidental damage to the surrounding areas.


Analogue Adhesion Tester


Adhesion SkirtsAdhesion Actuator

Digital and analogue gauges available for both harsh and hazardous environments

Actuator skirts for a range of substrate thicknesses and bond strengths, on flat or curved surfaces

Low height actuator allows access in restricted areas. Safety harness clip prevents accidental damage of surrounding areas during test on vertical surfaces


Powerful

  • Suitable for adhesion testing on metal, wood, concrete and other substrates
  • Rugged & lightweight - ideal for frequent testing
  • Smooth load application up to 50 MPa (7250 psi)

 Flexible

  • Easy to use hand-held design
  • Ideal for adhesion tests in the laboratory and the field
  • 14.2, 20 and 50 mm (0.56, 0.76 & 1.96”) diameter reusable dollies
  • Measures adhesion on small, curved and flat surfaces

 Accurate

  • Measurement range up to 50 MPa (7250 psi) with an accuracy of ±1% of full scale

 Durable

  • Sealed, heavy duty and impact resistant
  • Dust and waterproof equivalent to IP65
  • Suitable for use in harsh environments


Testing coatings adhesion on concrete & low bond strength substrates

When testing coatings adhesion on low bond strength substrates such as concrete, wood or other fibrous materials, a larger surface area of dolly is required to improve accuracy, repeatability and reproducability.

The Elcometer 506 Concrete Adhesion Tester can be supplied as a kit or with individual 50mm accessory items (skirt, dolly, cutter) which can be added to existing Elcometer 506 gauges.


How to Prevent Adhesive and Cohesive Failures

Correct dolly position


Correct Adhesion Test

Dolly and Actuator


Coating


Substrate

Incorrect dolly position

 
Incorrect Adhesion Test

Dolly and Actuator


Coating


Substrate

 

Preparing the surface and dolly

1. Select an appropriate test area which is flat and has sufficient test area to attach the adhesion gauge.

2. Abrade the dolly and surface, clean both to remove any dust - minimising the risk of an ‘adhesive’ failure.

Fixing the dolly

3. Mix the adhesive correctly and apply a uniform adhesive film over the entire dolly face.

4. Test Standards require that the dolly is pulled off perpendicularly to the test surface. The dolly must therefore be adhered on to a prepared flat test surface (see images above). Apply an even pressure to the dolly to ensure that the dolly face is parallel to the test surface.

5. Remove any excess adhesive from around the dolly and allow to fully cure. Tape maybe required when applying dollies to vertical surfaces during the cure process.

6. If required, once the dolly has fully cured, score the coating around the dolly using the dolly cutter provided.

7. Attach the gauge actuator to the dolly and begin test.

Assessment of the Adhesion Test

For a valid pull test the coating must cover at least 50% of the area of the dolly face. If the glue fails and no coating is present on the dolly, or it covers less than 50% of the dolly face area, the pull-test is invalid and should be repeated.

When the coating has failed within the layer leaving the same coating on both the dolly and the test panel it is known as a ‘cohesive failure’.

‘Adhesive failures’ occur when either the coating has failed at the interface with another coating (leaving a coating on the dolly and another coating on the substrate), or when the coating has failed at the substrate (leaving the coating on the dolly and the substrate is bare).

NOTE: If the glue fails at a value above the specification then it can be reported that the adhesion exceeded the specification for this individual test.