The measurement of structural properties of sailcloth

The report outlines a method of testing sailcloth to obtain elastic moduli and a proof stress appropriate to problems involving a single principal stress loading. Emphasis is given to practical problems, including a number of worked examples intended to help practitioners apply formulae. Standard uniaxial tensile test equipment is used, with the sole exception of an extensometer modification involving two dressmaking pins. Results for four popular sailcloths are presented