Long-term testing of textile material - Methodology of testing and design of the testing equipment.

The application of coating fabrics as roofing structures has become very popular lately. The materials are specially designed to withstand external loads at very low self-thickness and very low self-weight. The material's surface creates a membrane, which needs to be mechanically prestressed to become a load-bearing part of the system. However, due to the long-term prestress of the material and exposure to the environment (e.g., the snow season), the long-term characteristics of the material need to be considered, tested, and evaluated. This contribution is focused on the research of the methodology of long-term tests of the fabric material used for civil engineering and experimental design and manufacturing of particular testing equipment which will be used subsequently for the long-term testing of the fabrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]