not the latest info, but maybe it gives you an idea:
Arai wrote:
Once the helmet is constructed it must be tested. This process is carried out by the Snell Memorial Foundation, based in the United States, under the guidance and approval of the FIA. Various tests are performed under laboratory conditions in order to determine the helmets performance and ability to stay on the drivers head in a variety of circumstances.
First comes the impact test, in which the helmet is positioned on a dummy head and dropped onto sundry steel anvils, which simulate different impact surfaces. In all cases, if peak acceleration imparted to the head exceeds 300g, the helmet is rejected.
A dynamic retention test stresses the chin strap of the helmet, fastening it under a dummy jaw and then loading that jaw with weight. This will then be subject to an abrupt guided fall in which the chin strap must not stretch by more than 30 millimetres.
The chin bar at the front of the helmet is also tested by affixing the helmet to a rigid base and dropping a five-kilogramme weight so that it strikes the central portion of the chin area. A similar test is also applied to the outer shell of the helmet, but in this instance the weight is sharply pointed. In order for the helmet to pass this examination, the spike must not penetrate the helmet or even achieve momentary contact with the inner shell, such is its stridency.
One of the more startling test procedures is applied to the visor - the shield between the drivers face and any impact - to ensure that it is 100 percent safe. The visor is fixed to a helmet and shot along its centre line in three separate places with an air rifle, which fires lead pellets.
The speed of this pellet is 500 kilometres per hour. If the visor is to pass, it must not be penetrated and any intrusions onto its inner face must not exceed 2.5 millimetres in length.
These tests may seem a little extreme, explains Peter Burger, but they are entirely necessary to ensure that anyone who wears a crash helmet is as protected as they can be.
Of course, in the modern era of Formula 1, in which refuelling stops are a critical aspect of the sport, flame resistance is one of the most vital qualities a helmet can possess.
To ensure this is the case, a propane flame of approximately 790 degrees centigrade is applied to the shell, chin strap and visor for a specified period of time, and any resulting fire must extinguish itself within a further specified time after the flame has been removed. During the whole of this process the temperature of the interior lining of the helmet must not exceed 70 degrees centigrade.
Each helmet manufacturer has to send a sample of each of its helmets to the Snell Foundation for testing. In addition, though, the Foundation will randomly go out and buy helmets from the high street to test them. This helps ensure that the helmets that are being sold to the public are as safe as the ones sent to the Foundation by the manufacturer for initial testing.
Once the Foundation has given its seal of approval, the helmet can be forwarded on to the painters, who painstakingly apply the driver´s unique design, which serves as his identification when on the racetrack.
http://paddocktalk.com/news/html/module ... e&sid=3164
some other infos, including Massa´s accident:
http://www.schuberth.com/en/products/formel-1.html
http://www.gp-world.net/pages/en/featur ... /index.htm
