Application 152

Automotive Seat Testing | Indentation Force Deflection | FUTEK

Indentation Force Deflection (IFD) tests measure the firmness of flexible polyurethane foam cushions per ASTM D3574 B1 / ISO 2439. High IFD test results imply increased hardness. Low IFD results indicate soft foam products.

Within ASTM D3574, the indentation force deflection procedure is a method that measures the force required to indent a steel plate into a foam sample to a stated percentage of the test sample's initial height which is commonly four inches.

Accuracy is a very important factor when measuring the Indentation Force Deflection. In the automotive industry, robots are used to cycle test seats for wear and durability. Automakers research how people of all shapes and sizes affect the upholstery, seat cushions and seat structures over the life of the vehicle.

FUTEK’s LCF456 Fatigue Rated Pancake Load Cell is integrated into the custom testing robot to quantify data of the compression force placed onto a seat.

How it Works

Car seats undergo robotic test that repetitively reproduce human movements and loads onto the seat under test.
FUTEK’s Fatigue Rated Pancake Load Cell LCF456 is fixed to the distal point of the robots arm to quantify the force that is applied in the process with high accuracy and repeatability.
The load measurements produced help engineers determine the quality of an automotive seat.
These force measures can be streamed to a computer for analysis utilizing FUTEK’s USB Solutions.