Brittle Fracture of Crash Helmets.
Abstract
Polycarbonate in its intended condition is extremely tough and many of its properties commend it for the shells of protective headgear, including helmets for motor cyclists. However, there have been accidents in which the polycarbonate shell has shattered. Only one case (described below) has been documented in Australia, in other cases, reported overseas the failure has usually been associated with deterioration caused by sunlight, solvent attack, stress concentrations (such as rivet holes) or extreme impact conditions. Attack by sunlight should be less with opaque helmets than with the earlier transparent shells and solvent contact should be rendered less likely by the warning labels attached to all helmets, but the lack of positive evidence about the reliability of polycarbonate helmets caused the Office of Road Safety (Department of Transport Australia) to support a 'weathering trial' on motor cyclists helmets. The trial commenced in 1979 at ARL.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 1982
- Accession Number
- ADA122903
Entities
People
- G. Paul
- S. R. Sarrailhe