The strip force test quantitatively evaluates the ease of removing insulation from a finished wire sample. It is important in any electrical system that wire insulation be adherent enough to the conductor to maintain structural integrity and non-adherent enough such that a standard wire stripping tool may readily remove insulation as needed.
The insulation of a length of wire sample is removed except for a 1.0 in length of insulation. The sample is then mounted into a force tester in accordance with ASTM D3032 such that the force will be applied to the remaining length of insulation. The force tester will pull the conductor sample through the remaining length of insulation approximately 1.0 inch before being stopped, care is taken that the insulation is not pulled from the end of the conductor.
The highest recorded tensile value during the described displacement will be the strip force of the sample.