The Cynical Mandrel Bend Tester may be used to establish two properties of a coating; its resistance to cracking and/or detachment from its substrate and its elongation during the test. This is accomplished by bending the test material around a conically shaped metal bar.

ASTM D522 (A): for cracking / detachment 1 second* (*or some other mutually for elongation 15 seconds* agreed time)

BS EN NF/ISO 6860 (BS 3900-E11 ) for cracking / elongation 2-3 seconds

Cynical Mandrel Bend Tester is suitable for use with metal panels up to 0.8mm thick (flexible substrates up to 5mm in thickness) e.g. polythenes or synthetic rubber. The apparatus consists of a steel mandrel 203mm in length and tapering from 38mm to 3mm in diameter. It will accommodate test panels up to 19cm x 11cm in size. A graduated scale on the clamping bar indicates the mandrel diameter at which failure has occurred. When this diameter is added to the thickness of the panel used, the percentage elongation can be calculated.