Density (0)
Density
The density or specific gravity is expressed in kg/m3 and it indicates how much a block of foam measuring 1 x 1 x 1 m weighs.
The density can be seen as an indicator to distinguish foams; the other properties largely depend on it.
We produce foams with specific gravities from 17 to 60 kg/m3 used in a variety of applications.
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Hardness (0)
Hardness
The hardness is the second important property of PU soft foams. For mattresses and seating it is essential that the foam fully supports the body. Foam that is too soft will in the worst case not support the body at all, whilst a foam that is too hard will not offer any feeling of comfort.
Naturally, the thickness of the foam also plays a role. The combination of the hardness and thickness of the foam on the one hand and the substructure on the other is essential.
Hardness is laboratory tested by compressing a foam sample of given dimensions to 65%, 40% and 25% of its original thickness, while measuring the force needed to achieve this. In order to ensure the highest degree of comfort, different degrees of hardness are available, depending on the relevant sector and the intended application of the foam.
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Elasticity (0)
Elasticity
The elasticity also largely contributes to the comfort and it is often expressed as a percentage. To determine the elasticity, a little steel ball is dropped onto the foam and the height it bounces back up to is measured. An elasticity of 70% for example means that during the test, the ball bounces back up to 70% of the starting height. Our Eucabase®-foams on average achieve an elasticity of 40% to 50%, our Eucaselect®-foams an elasticity of 50 to 60%.
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Comfort index (0)
Comfort index
The foam must be able to support the weight of a person and adapt to the body movements. In other words: when the pressure on the foam increases, it can be expected that the pressure exercised is cushioned as evenly as possible.
In the labs, we determine this value by measuring the force required to compress the foam to 65 and 25% of its original height respectively. The ratio between these two measured forces yields the comfort index.
The comfort index of our Eucabase® qualities is +/-2 and for our Eucaselect® qualities it is +/- 3. The higher the comfort index, the better the foam supports the body.
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Fatigue resistance and Durability (0)
Fatigue resistance and Durability
It is self-evident that the properties named have to be maintained over a long period of time, also in case of intensive use. There are various methods available to test this. We call it a static fatigue test if the foam is burdened over a long period and a dynamic fatigue test if the foam is repeatedly compressed. A dynamic fatigue test consists of compressing the foam 80,000 times successively with a 75-kg weight. Afterwards, the height and loss of hardness are measured. In any case, the higher the specific gravity of the foam, the better the fatigue properties.
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Flammability (0)
Flammability
The fire performance of the foam that is used inside furniture must be assessed together with the upholstery. The higher the upholstery’s fire resistance, the better the fire resistance of the entire piece of furniture.
There is no fire resistance for all the materials used in furniture against larger ignition sources. Once these materials have caught fire, there is a real risk of the fire spreading further.
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