This standard specifies a method for determination of the resistance of chemically-pretreated textiles to the action of microorganisms present in soil in comparison with untreated textiles.
This method is applicable to flat textiles made of cellulosic-containing yarns (tentage, tarpaulins, webbing and tapes) that will typically come into contact with soil during use.
Due to the inherent resistance of most synthetic fibres to attack by microorganisms, fabrics containing a high proportion of synthetic fibres can only be judged by these methods for changes in structure and appearance.
Although this method allows good reproducibility of results, it is intended to show comparative performance rather than provide absolute values.
NOTE Heavy tarpaulin fabrics and webbing may be of such a structure that samples without finish are resistant within a 14 days soil burial period. Also in such cases the decay rate of the untreated sample determines the length of the burial period.