Development of an analysis and testing concept for the evaluation of impact targets in the mechanical safety testing of dangerous goods packagings

The mechanical and geometrical properties of impact targets greatly influence the outcome of a drop test. The International Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR) as well as ISO 2248 describe the characteristics of impact targets for drop tests of dangerous goods packagings. According to these regulations, the impact target's surface needs to be unyielding, under testing conditions non‐deformable, flat and integral with a mass at least 50 times that of the heaviest packaging to be tested. The problem is that many production facilities, especially manufacturers of corrugated fibreboard boxes, do not have their own testing device with the required 50 times mass ratio of the impact target for a regulation compliant drop test during series production. Furthermore, at UN level, it is considered necessary to revise these requirements. In the present paper, the impact target requirements are examined in detail and compared with those in other technical areas (e.g., impact target for container for the transport of radioactive materials). A research method is being developed to investigate the dependency between the mass ratio of the packaging and the target as well as the damage resistance of a drop tested package in relation to specific design characteristics. The results are of high relevance for industry purposes and intended to ensure a uniform level of safety assessment for the mechanical testing of dangerous goods packagings. The mechanical and geometrical properties of impact targets greatly influence the outcome of a drop test. According to the regulations described in ADR as well as ISO 2248, the impact target's mass needs to be at least 50 times that of the heaviest packaging to be tested. A research method is being developed to investigate the influence of the mass ratio in drop tests and the damage resistance of a drop tested package in relation to specific target design characteristics.