Impact Test Requirements and Product Safety Standards

The ability of equipment to withstand mechanical impact, to ensure continued safety, or continuation of function, is a recognised requirement in most specifications.

Such requirements are specified in ISO, IEC & CEE standards as well as those of BSI, VDE and many other nationalities. In many cases the impact specified is by means of an internationally agreed Spring Operated Impact Hammer calibrated according to the requirements as specified in IEC 817: 1984 and BS 7003: 1988.

These standards have been revised and reissued as the following: BS EN 60068-2-63:1995 and IEC 68-2-63:1991 and laterally by BS EN 60068-2-75:1997 and BS EN 60068-2-75:2014

The Spring Operated Impact Test Hammer is made to the working drawings as described in the above specifications and is calibrated and certified to be within the required limits of impact energy. The construction consists of a moving hammer head having a hard polyamide hemispherical face, mounted in a cylindrical body. A knob is attached to the rear of the hammer shaft for the purpose of compressing the hammer spring and setting the striking mechanism. The mechanism is released by applying pressure to the front nose cone. Blows to the sample under test are applied by pushing the release nose slowly against the sample until the release mechanism operates, allowing the spring to propel the hammer against the sample.

Hammers can be supplied with pre-set values of energy from 0.2 J(Nm) to 1.0 J(Nm). Impact Energy is designated in SI units as Joules (J), although historically measured in Newton Metres (Nm). A very common value is, however, 0.5 J(Nm) ± 0.04 J(Nm), which is specified for the enclosures of most domestic electrical appliances and similar equipment. Standard testing industry energies include 0.2J, 0.35J, 0.5J, 0.7J & 1.0 Joule. Each hammer is supplied complete with a UKAS certificate of calibration and contained in a wooden instrument case.