Lotus Rock QC #4 – Handle Bending Strength Test
As explained in the previous blog post, Lotus Rock has designed and patented a number of highly eye-catching, ergonomic handles for its various cookware and BBQ items. Handle materials can vary from forged steel, to a natural wood such as acacia or beech, to bakelite with soft-touch coating, and so on a silicone material, molded into a variety of different shapes, such as a lollipop.
However, for cookware usage a good handle should not just have an attractive appearance or a comfortable, stay-cool grip, it should also be safe to use as well. One particularly important feature for a handle with a Lotus Rock pan is its strength and secure attachment to the pan’s body. All Lotus Rock pans come with a very heavy carbon steel substrate of 2.0mm in thickness. Although not nearly as heavy as cast iron a Lotus Rock pan is still quite a heavy weight for certain types of cooking utensils, such as a 12” stir wok or a 28cm frying pan. Therefore, a strong, well-designed handle is especially important for a safe cooking experience with a Lotus Rock pan.
The kitchenware industry commonly uses a bending strength test, from testing standard BS EN 12983/ 7.5, to assess whether a handle is sturdy and strongly attached enough to a pot or pan.
BS EN 12983/ 7.5 Bending Strength Test Procedure
The BS EN 12983/ 7.5 procedure for the Bending Strength Test is as follows:
Since Lotus Rock’s was introduced into the market, a number of different types of handles for Lotus Rock pans have been tested according to the BS EN 12983/ 7.5 bending strength test. As shown in the photos above both the Zurich square wooden handle, which uses a riveted attachment method, and the bakelite handle, which uses a welding attachment method, has been stress tested with a 10kg weight attached firmly to the end of the handle. Both of these handles passed without any recorded major failure at a SQTS (Swiss Quality Testing Services) testing lab.