Adhesion Strength Test of Sterile Packaging Materials

Medical Analyses

Adhesion Strength Test of Sterile Packaging Materials

Seal Strength Testing of Sterile Packaging – ASTM F88/F88M

1. What is Seal Strength Testing?

Seal Strength Test evaluates the peel resistance of sealed medical packaging, ensuring that the sterile barrier is strong enough to remain intact during transport and handling, but peelable without tearing during opening.

2. Standard Reference

Standard	Definition
ASTM F88/F88M	Standard Test Method for Seal Strength of Flexible Barrier Materials
Scope	Measures the force required to separate sealed layers of sterile packaging
Related Standards	ISO 11607-1/2, EN 868 series

3. Test Configurations

Method	Description	Use Case
180° T-Peel	Equal pulling of both layers	Most widely used
90° Peel	One layer fixed, other pulled at 90°	Blister packs
Supported/Unsupported	With or without backing support	Based on material rigidity

4. Test Procedure

Cut strips of 15 mm or 25 mm along the seal.
Condition samples at 23 ± 2 °C / 50 ± 5% RH.
Place in tensile tester and peel at 200–300 mm/min.
Record peak force or average force.

5. Result Expression

$Seal\\, Strength = \\frac{Force\\, (N)}{Seal\\, Width\\, (mm)}$

Units: N/15 mm, N/25 mm or lbf/in

6. TTS Laboratory Services

✔ ASTM F88/F88M compliant seal strength testing
✔ For Tyvek®, PET/PE, paper/film, blister packaging
✔ Data reporting with force–displacement curves
✔ ISO 11607 & ISO 13485 compliant validation reports