Non-Tariff Barriers

Non-Tariff Measure

NTM classification

B82: Testing requirement 

Date when the measure came into force

08 September 1984 

Publication where the measure is specified

Government Notice 1135 (Government Gazette No. 9247) Of 8 June 1984 

Regulation where the measure is specified

Compulsory Specification For Safety Helmets For Motor Cyclists 

Country/Region applying the measure

South Africa 

The rationale of the measure

This specification covers requirements for the general design, construction, performance, marking, and labelling,
and testing of safety helmets for use by motor cyclists on the roads 

Coded list of objectives

X: For purposes n.e.s. 

Description of the measure

7.2 Conditioning
7.2.1 Pre-conditioning: Expose the helmet to a temperature of 24 +/- 2 °C and a relative humidity of 45+/-5 % for at least six hours.
7.2.2 High temperature
(a) Apparatus: An oven having fan- operated air circulation, an internal volume of at least 0,15m3 and not less than 0,06 m3 per helmet, and thermostatically controlled to maintain a temperature of 50+/- 2°
C .
(b) Procedure: Place the helmet in the oven ensuring hat it does not touch the side , top, or bottom of the oven. Expose the helmet to the temperature of 50+/- 2°C for not less than four hours and not more than five hours.

7.2.3 Low temperature:
(a) Apparatus: A reasonable airtight refrigerator having an internal volume of at least 0,15m3 and not less than 0,06m3 per helmet , and that is thermostatically controlled to maintain a temperature of 0+/- 3°C.
(b) Procedure : Place the helmet in the refrigerator , and expose the helmet to the temperature of 0+/- 3°C for not less than four hours and not more than five hours.
7.2.4 Ultraviolet radiation and water immersion:
(a) Apparatus:
(1) A U.V. quarts lamp of power 125W.
(2) A vessel of adequate size containing water at a temperature of 24 +/- 2°C.
(b) Procedure:
(1) Expose for 48 hours the outer surface of the helmet to ultraviolet radiation from the lamp placed at a distance of 250mm from the helmet.
(2) Invert the helmet and immerse it totally in the water in the vessel for not less than four hours and not more than five hours.
7.3 Verification of Extent of protection and peripheral vision
7.3.1 Apparatus: A headform of appropriate size (see 8.4)
7.3.2 Procedure:
(a) Place the helmet on the headform and secure it firmly using the alignment of the edge above the face in relation to the basic plan at the front and sides of the headform to level the helmet.
(b) Check the extent of the protection of the helmet visually against the circumference AA1 and the lines of CDEF marked on the headform (see Fig 3).
c) Check the extent of peripheral vision (see 4.6) .
(d) Verify compliance with the requirements of 4.6, 5.1(a) and 5.1 (b) .
e) Note the vertical distance between the edge of the helmet above the face and he basic plane , measured at the froth midpoint of the helmet (see 7.4.3 (a) )
7.4 Shock Absorption test
7.4.1 (a) Headform: A headform of appropriate size (see 8.4)
(b) Mounting: The apparatus is mounted on a rigid monolithic base having a mass of at least 500kg. The headform is secured to a spigot coincident with its central vertical axis and the spigot is mounted on an arc that pivots about a horizontal axis (see Fig 4) . The position of the headform along the arc is adjusted to the angle required for the inclined axis of the headform. Rotation of the headform about the spigot presents any selected point on the circumference of the headform to the striker. A similar spigot secured directly to the rigid base enables the headform to be mounted vertically for the delivery of blows to the top of the helmet.
c) Striker: The striker has a mass of 5 kg and a flat circular striking face of a diameter 125 +/- 1,0 mm or a hemispherical striking face of radius 50+/- 0.5 mm, and is dropped in guided fall with minimal retardation from the guides , which are vertical to within 1 in 400.


(8) Acceleration transducer: An acceleration transducer capable of withstanding a 20 000 m/s2 shock without damage is firmly attached to the striker with its vertical axis coincident, to within +/- 2°C, with that of the striker.
(e) Measuring system: The measuring system including the striker has aflat response within +/- 1dB from 5 Hz to 3 kHz.
7.4.2 Instrumentation check: Before commencing helmet tests, check the measuring system by impacting a suitable test piece with the hemispherical striker, dropping the striker from an established height to produce an acceleration of 4 000 m/s2. Record at least three such impacts on each occasion of checking and check that the results lie within a range of 400 m/s2.
7.4.3 Procedure: Use any one of the test schedules given in Table 2 and after subjecting the helmet under test to the appropriate conditioning, proceed as follows:
(a) Securely fasten the helmet to the headform with the required impact site of the helmet presented to the striker, and levelled with the front edge of the helmet set at the same distance from the basic plane at the front midpoint of the headform as previously measured in 7.3.2 (e).
(b) determine ted the mass load of the helmeted headform abut the pivot shaft and in the vertical axis of the striker.
(c) Calculate the height through which the striker has to be dropped to attain an impact energy of 122J in the case of the flat striker and 88 J in the case of the hemispherical striker. These impact energies are attained by the striker falling through a height of (k+1h)/k metres ,
Where k = mass of helmeted headform, kg/ mass of striker, kg
h =2,5 m for flat striker and 1,8 m for hemispherical striker
(d) Raise the striker to the required height, measured from the underside of the striker to the helmet shell, and ensure that it is accurate to within 5 mm.
(e) Drop the striker onto the helmet and record the acceleration.
(f) After any necessary repositioning of the helmet on the hedform, and ensuing that the striker drops on the same impact site on the helmet, repeat the procedure given in (a) – (e) above.
(g) Test the helmet on three sites separated by distances of not less than one-fifth of the maximum circumference of the helmet.
(h) Ensure that side impacts are between 0 mm and 25 mm rearwards of the transverse plane through the central vertical axis of the headform, and on line BB1, i.e. the line generated when the angle between the inclined and horizontal plane of the headform is 20° (see Fig. 1 ).
(i) Ensure that front and rear impacts are within 25 mm of the central longitudinal axis of the headform, and on line BB1.
(j) Verity compliance with the requirements of 5.2 (a).
7.5 Penetration test
7.5.1 Apparatus: The apparatus (see Fig. 5) consists essentially
of the following:
(a) A hemispherical test block of hardwood and having a soft metal insert at the top of its central axis and mounted on arigid base.
(b) A striker with the following characteristics :
Mass .................................. 3,0kg (+45/-0g)
Angle of cone .......................... 60°+/- 0,5°
Height of cone.. ....................... 40 mm, mh.
Radius of point ........................ 0,5 +/- 0,lmm
Hardness of tip ........................ 45-50 HR
(c) A method of electrically indicating when the striker touches the soft metal insert.
7.5.2 Procedure:
(a) Fasten the helmet securely to the test block.
(b) Allow the striker to fall freely from a height 2,5 mm +/- 5mm (measured from the point of the striker to the anticipated point of impact on the helmet) onto the helmet at
two sites on or above the circumference BB1 (see 7.4.3 (h)) and separated by at least 45mm from each other and from the centres of the impact sites of the shock absorption test.
c) Note whether contact is made between the striker and the soft metal insert and, if necessary, restore the surface of the latter, before the next test.
d) Verify compliance with the requirements of 5.2 (b)
7.6 Test for strength of retention system
7.6.1 Apparatus : The apparatus (see Fig 6) consists essentially of the following:
(a) a headform of appropriate size
(b) A mount for the headform that incorporates a load bearing support for the brim of the helmet.
c) A stirrup that has two metal rollers, each 12,5 +/- 0,5 mm in diameter , spaced at 75,0 +/- 0,5 mm centres.
(d) A guide bar and anvil integral with and extending vertically downwards from the stirrup and on which is mounted a gauge for measuring both the maximum dynamic and residual extension of the chin strap. The system has a total mass of 7,0 kg (+0.25/-0) hat is carried on the guide bar and that can be dropped in free fall onto the anvil, which carries a 10mm thick pad of polyethylene foam.
7.6.2 Procedure:
(a) So secure the helmet over the headform and onto the load-bearing support that any load placed on the fastened chin strap is borne by the support and not by the headform, which acts only as a positioning guide for the helmet.
(b) so fasten the chin strap under the stirrup that the chin strap support the stirrup and the guide bar and the anvil system, and that the stirrup is 120 – 140 mm below the headform.
(c) Adjust the extension measuring gauge to zero.
(d) Drop the 10 kg mass piece from a height of 750 +/- 5mm onto the anvil.
e) Record the dynamic extension and with the 10 kg mass still on the anvil, measure the residual extension
(f) Reset the extension –measuring gauge to zero
(g) Without touching the chin, strap repeat (d) and e)
(h) verify compliance with the requirements of 5.3
7.7 Test for rigidity
7.8 Corrosion resistance test
7.9 Test for flexibility of peak
7.10 Test for strength on visor 

Reference of the measure

Regulations 7.2 to 7.10 

Measure also domestic

Yes 

Products affected by the measure.

Description

Helmets for motor cyclists 

Countries/Regions affected by the measure.

Description

All countries