'''Tensile testing''' is a materials science test in which a sample is subjected to tension until it fails.  Tensile testing is carried out on rope and rope assemblies to determine various physical properties.

Tensile testing measures several properties that are seen on a material's [[wikipedia:stress–strain curve|]]:

* [[wikipedia:Young's modulus|]]
* [[wikipedia:Yield point|]]
* [[wikipedia:Ultimate tensile strength|]] -- the maximum stress that a material can withstand while being stretched or pulled before [[wikipedia:necking (engineering)|]]

Tensile testing uses '''grips''' to hold the test specimen until it fails.  There are a variety of grip designs. For most test materials, the test material is made so that it has thicker "shoulders" near the grips, to ensure that the failure doesn't occur near the grips (because this could indicate that the grips weakened the material).  Unfortunately, rope specimens usually can't have shoulders, so rope testing often uses grips that are unique to rope tests:

* Capstan grips
*: By using a large-radius cylinder, [[knot efficiency|stress concentrations]] are minimized.
* Resin sockets
*: These are similar to the Resin sockets used in wire [[rope termination]]s, however, the socket and the grip are integrated.