ASTM F1937-98

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An American National Standard
Designation: F 1937 – 98
Standard Specification for
Body Protectors Used in Horse Sports and Horseback
Riding
This standard is issued under the fixed designation F 1937; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
INTRODUCTION
Horse sports and horseback riding are sports with intrinsic hazards. It is recognized that it is not
possible to write a body protector performance standard that will result in products that can protect
against injury or death in all accidents. It is also recognized that serious injury or death can result from
both low-energy and high-energy impacts, even when body protectors are worn. It is further
recognized that protective body protectors must be acceptable to the user and to the regulating
associations or agencies requiring their use. Acknowledging these limitations, this specification was
developed using resources in medical, scientific, engineering, human factors, and biomedical fields.
This specification incorporates many aspects of other recognized body protector performance
standards.This specification draws from work done by others where appropriate for this specification.
These standards may be referenced. It should be noted that this specification specifies a laboratory test
of a completed body protector’s ability to reduce impacts.
1. Scope 2.2 BETA Standard:
1.24.4.95 Standard for Horse Riders’ Body and Shoulder
1.1 This specification covers minimum performance criteria
Protectors
and describes test methods for body protectors for use in horse
2.3 National Institute of Justice Standard:
sports and horseback riding.
0101.03 Ballistic Resistance of Police Body Armor
1.2 It is not the intention of this specification to bar from
2.4 SAE Standard:
considerationmaterialsofimprovedqualityorperformancenot
J211 Recommended Practice for Instrumentation for Impact
known at the time of development of this specification.
Tests - Requirements for Channel Class 1000, Oct. 1988
1.3 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded
as the standard. The values given in parentheses are for
3. Terminology
information only.
3.1 Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard: In
1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the
addition to terms defined in Test Methods F 1446, the follow-
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the
ing terms are specific to this specification:
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-
3.1.1 backing material—a block of nonhardening, oil-based
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-
modeling clay in contact with the back of the body protective
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.
test specimen during impact deformation testing. A backing
2. Referenced Documents materialfoundtobesuitableisRomaPlastilinaNo.1modeling
clay as defined in NIJS 0101.03. Roma Plastilina No. 1
2.1 ASTM Standards:
modeling clay is available in most art supply centers.
F 1045 Performance Specification for Ice Hockey Helmets
3.1.2 body protector—a sleeveless garment covering de-
F 1446 Test Methods for Equipment and Procedures Used
fined areas of the torso and lower back and consisting of one or
inEvaluatingthePerformanceCharacteristicsofProtective
Headgear
Available from the British Equestrian Trade Association Ltd., Worthersome
This specification is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee F-8 on Sports Grange, Bramham, Nr. Wetherby, Yorkshire, LS23 6LY.
Equipment and Facilities and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee F08.55 on Available from the National Institute of Justice, 810 Seventh St. NW,
Washington, DC 20531.
Padding (Body).
Available from Society of Automotive Engineers, 400 Commonwealth Dr.,
Current edition approved Nov. 10, 1998. Published January 1999.
Warrendale, PA 15096.
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 15.07.
Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.
F 1937
more layers of material and designed to reduce trauma from be significantly affected by exposure to ultraviolet radiation,
blunt impacts and falls. water, dirt, or vibration. All materials shall be rot-resistant.
3.1.3 bust girth—the maximum horizontal girth measured 4.1.2 Materials coming into contact with the wearer’s skin
during normal breathing with the subject standing upright and shall not be the type known to cause skin irritation or disease,
the tape-measure passed over the scapulae under the armpits and shall not undergo significant loss of strength, flexibility, or
and across the breasts: normal underclothing to be worn. other physical change as a result of contact with perspiration or
3.1.4 calibration impact surface —the impact surface shall body oil.
be a flat modular elastomer programmer (MEP). The MEP is 4.1.3 Any material used in the construction of body protec-
6.0 in. (152 mm) in diameter, and 1.0 in. (25 mm) thick. It is tors shall not be adversely affected by ordinary household soap
affixed to the top surface of a flat, 0.25 in. (6.35 mm) thick and water, mild household detergent, or cleaners recommended
aluminum plate.The durometer of the MEPis 60 6 2 ShoreA. by the manufacturer.
3.1.5 chest girth—the maximum horizontal girth measured 4.2 Body Protector Assembly:
during normal breathing with the subject standing upright and 4.2.1 Any optional devices fitted to the body protector shall
the tape-measure passed over the scapulae under the armpits be so designed that they are unlikely to cause any injury to the
and across the chest. wearer or other participants during contact.
3.1.6 deformation—the maximum displacement of the back 4.2.2 No rigid projections shall be on the inside of the body
surface of the body protector, during impact as defined in 9.3. protector which could come in contact with the wearer’s body.
3.1.7 depth—the depth of the depression is the distance 4.2.3 All external projections shall be smooth and ad-
fromtheoriginalundisturbedsurfaceofthebackingmaterialto equately faired to other surfaces.
the lowest point of the depression. 4.3 Extent and Form of Protective Material—The coverage
3.1.8 spherical impactor —the spherical impactor is a 5.75- of the body protector listed in Section 5 shall protect the
in. (146-mm) diameter aluminum sphere, weighing 8.83 6 wearer’s body to the minimum impact requirements of Section
0.01 lb (4005 6 5 g), specifically machined for mounting onto 7. The extent of protection shall include at least all of the
the ball-arm connector of the drop-test assembly. designated areas shown in Fig. 1.
3.1.9 waist girth—the maximum horizontal girth measured 4.3.1 The body protector may have reduced thickness over
during normal breathing with the subject standing upright and the shoulder. When shoulder protectors are fitted, the body
the tape-measure passed around the body in the plane of the protector shoulder strap may not require any included foam.
waist, 2.0 in. (50 mm) above the supra-cristal plane which is at 4.4 Attachments—The components of the fasteners for se-
the level of the highest points of the iliac crests.The dimension curing attachments to the body protector shall not reduce the
of 2.0 in. (50 mm) refers to a subject of 70.0 in. (1780 mm) tall degree of protection afforded the wearer by the protective
and should be scaled pro rata with the height of the actual padding or cushioning material of the body protector.
subject.
3.1.10 waist to waist over the shoulder length—the maxi- 5. Dimensioning, Sizing, and Body Coverage
mum length measured from the plane of the waist, as defined
5.1 The whole circumference of the torso shall be covered
above, over the shoulder to the plane of the waist. The
by the body protector.
tape-measure crosses the shoulder at the mid point between the
5.2 Dimensioning—Body protectors shall have dimensions
point of the shoulder and the junction of the shoulder to the
as shown in Fig. 1. DimensionAis the mid value of the range
neck. Anteriorly the tape-measure passes over the chest (or
of the chest circumferences the manufacturer states the body
bust) to a point 3.5 in. (90 mm) lateral to the midline of the 2
protector will fit. Dimension B is equal to [B=(–0.028)A +
body on the plane of the waist. Posteriorly the tape-measure 7
2.66A –25.81] . Four vertical reference lines defined in BETA
follows the shortest distance to a point 3.5 in. (90 mm) lateral
Standard 1.24.4.95 are to be used: C and C’ separated by 25 %
to the midline of the body. The distances of 3.5 in. (90 mm)
of DimensionAon the chest, and D and D’ separated by 25 %
refer to a subject with a waist girth of 34.0 in. (860 mm) and
of Dimension A on the back.
should be scaled pro rata with the waist girth of the actual
5.2.1 The padding shall extend for more than 45 % of
subject.Normalunderclothingtobewornforthemeasurement.
Dimension B along the lines C and C’. (C in Fig. 1)
5.2.2 The padding shall extend for more than 60 % of
4. General Requirements
Dimension B along the lines D and D’. (D in Fig. 1)
4.1 Materials:
5.2.3 The padding shall extend for a length greater than
4.1.1 As defined in the ice hockey helmet Performance
30 % of Dimension B in the center front. (E in Fig. 1)
SpecificationF 1045,allmaterialsusedinthefabricationofthe
5.2.4 The circumference of the armhole shall be less than
body protector shall be known to be suitable for the intended
70 % of Dimension A. (F in Fig. 1)
application.All shock attenuation system materials used in the
5.2.5 The minimum width of the padding across the back
body protector shall not permanently distort during an expo-
between the arm holes shall be more than 30 % of Dimension
sure of at least4htoany temperature in the range from 5 6
A. (G in Fig. 1)
4to104 6 4 °F (–15 62to40 6 2 °C), nor shall the material
6 7
Available from Research and Testing Company, 1415 Park Ave., Hoboken, NJ Thisformularepresentsthemathematicallycalculatedanthropometricmeanfor
07030. the waist to waist over the shoulder length for chest sizes 21 to 48.
F 1937
NOTE 1—Protective material can be removed from the body protector.
FIG. 1 Diagrammatic Representation of the Protective Material in a Body Protector Flattened Out for Measurement
5.2.6 The minimum width of padding across the chest of the vertical when the spherical impactor is in the impact
between the armholes shall be more than 25 % of Dimension position. This transducer shall be capable of withstanding a
A. (H in Fig. 1) shock of 1000 g without damage and shall have a frequency
5.2.7 Themaximumdepthofthefrontneckopeningshallbe response (variation 6 1.5 %) over the range from 5 to 900 Hz.
less than 15 % of Dimension B. (I in Fig. 1) 6.1.2.2 Impact Recording—The impact shall be recorded on
5.2.8 Themaximumdepthofthebackneckopeningshallbe single- or dual-trace storage oscilloscope with 0.1 mV to 20 V
less than 7 % of Dimension B (J in Fig. 1) deflection factor, 1 to 5 ms sweep speed-division and 500 kHz
5.2.9 Padding over the top of the shoulder may be reduced bandwidth, or any digital system meeting or exceeding these
to 50 % of its normal thickness in an area not extending more requirements.
than 2.0 in. (50 mm) along the over-shoulder dimension line 6.1.2.3 Signal Filtering—Acceleration data channel and
from the top of the shoulder, to the front and to the rear. filtering shall comply with SAE Recommended Practice J211,
5.3 Sizing—Body protectors and shoulder protectors shall CFC 1000.
be marked a size. The size is to be determined by three 6.1.3 System Accuracy—The impact recording system shall
dimensions of the persons the protector will fit. The dimen- be capable of measuring shocks up to 500 g peak acceleration
sions are chest girth, waist girth, and waist to waist over the with an accuracy of 65%.
shoulder length. 6.2 Penetration and Deformation Test—The apparatus for
the penetration and deformation test shall consist of the
6. Apparatus
following:
6.2.1 Backing Material—The backing material shall be in
6.1 Shock Attenuation Test—The apparatus for the shock
the form of a single block at least 4.0 in. (102 mm) thick and
attenuation test shall consist of the following:
of sufficient length and width [approximately 10.0 by 10.0 in.
6.1.1 Guide Assembly—The spherical impactor shall be
(254 by 254 mm)] to completely back the body protector to be
attachedtothefreefalldropassemblycarriagebyanadjustable
tested.
mounting that will allow impacts to be delivered to any point
6.2.2 Backing Material Box—Abox measuring at least 11.0
of the body protector. The carriage shall be free to slide on
by 11.0 by 4.5 in. (279 by 279 by 114-mm) with at least a 10.0
vertical guides. If wires are used they must be placed under at
by 10.0 by 4.0 in. (254 by 254 by 102 mm) square opening
least 190 lbf (845 N) tension. The guide assembly shall not
shall be used to hold the backing material during product test.
weigh more than 2.4 lb (1100 g). The total weight of the guide
assembly and spherical impactor shall be 11.0 6 0.25 lb (5000
7. Performance Requirements
6 100 g).
6.1.2 Recording Equipment—The recording equipment 7.1 General—Body Protectors shall be capable of meeting
shall meet the following criteria: the requirements in this performance specification throughout
6.1.2.1 Acceleration Transducer—Alinear accelerometer is theirfullrangeofadjustment.Theyshallbecapableofmeeting
mounted at the center of gravity of the spherical impactor and these requirements at any temperature between 5 and 104 °F
carriage assembly with the sensitive axis aligned to within 5° (–15 and 40 °C).
F 1937
7.2 The velocity of any impact shall be 10.33 ft/s 6 2% which stands 2.8 6 0.04-in. (70 6 1-mm) up from a bench
(3.15 m/s 6 2 %). surface.Theprotectorisallowedtodrapenaturallyoverthebar
7.3 The peak acceleration of any impact shall not exceed and be supported by the bench.Asimilar metal bar of mass 5.5
300 g, when test in accordance to 9.2 and 9.3. 6 0.25 lb (2550 6 50 g) is placed in a groove between blocks
7.4 When tested according to 9.3, post impact deformation of padding on the outer surface of the protector above the fixed
is limited to a depth of 1.0 in. (25 mm). block and gently rocked from side to side.
7.5 When tested according to 9.4, blocks of padding in the 9.5 Closures—Test body protector closures using a spring
body protector must prevent the bars from coming into balance or force gage. Clamp the device (spring balance or
effective contact with each oth
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