Topload tests on bottles

Topload tests or Crush tests are specially designed to ensure the resistance of bottles, cans or drums during the filling process or transportation. These tests can easily detect defects in production to avoid most of the problems during filling, storage, shipping or crating.

Topload tests are an excellent way to optimize the costs of material (wall thickness) compared to the desired strength. But they also ensure that the bottles are not too strong to meet the recycling standards in some countries.

There are 2 main types of Topload test:

1. Crush until rupture, in that case the test machine just crush the bottle until it collapses. Then we record the break force or the maximum that are often equivalent.

2. Crushing force at a given distance: in this case, the test machine crush the bottle and we record the force when the after a travel on the bottle (usually between 10 mm to 25 mm).