DIY measurement of ILD
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I'm new to the forum and am interested in layering a new mattress based on a 6" slab of latex from my existing mattress (which I disassembled). It'd be really helpful to know the ILD of this piece of latex and I wonder if I can measure it myself using the definition. I understand it's the weight, in pounds, required to push a 50 sq-in "foot" 25% of the way into the mattress. It just so happens that I have a 8" Pyrex pie dish that is roughly 50 sq-in (and I can correct for it being off a little). Seems like I can lay it on the middle of the piece of 6" foam, and add weights (round barbell weights) until I've mashed it 1.5" into the foam. By using a 3ft yardstick as a straight-edge, I should be able to measure the compression. Conveniently, the pie plate is 1.5" high, so I've added the right amount of weight when the top of the pie plate is flush with the bottom of the straight-edge, which is laid across so that its ends rest on the uncompressed foam. Make sense ? |
Re: DIY measurement of ILD
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Wow sandman, thanks for that info ! I guess foam does not act as an ideal spring. For ideal springs in series, the deflection percentage should be constant with force applied, since each spring stretches or compresses the same amount. So two pieces of 4" foam stacked are like two springs in series, so if 25lb compresses one piece 25%, it should compress two pieces stacked on top of each other by 25% each, compressing the whole thing by 25%. But the data you cite shows that this is not the case for foam. Good to know ! |