A seat strength rig is specified from three directions at once - the standards in play, the load and stroke each axis has to reach, and the fixtures that put the load where the method says.
This note describes how a seat strength test rig in our published range is specified. It is not a test method: the method comes from the standard the test is run to.
Question 1 - which standards has it to cover?
A rig is usually bought against more than one rulebook. In our published range the seat system strength system cites GB 15083-2006 for seat system strength, ECE R17 for seats and head restraints, and FMVSS 207. Confirming the full list first avoids buying capacity and fixtures for only one of them.
Question 2 - capacity and stroke per axis
- The force each axis must reach, and the direction of each load.
- The travel needed to reach that force on a real specimen.
- Whether the axis is force controlled or displacement controlled.
- Sampling rate and filter class for the recorded data (ISO 6487 CFC60 in our published range).
Question 3 - fixtures and load application
The fixture decides where the load lands. Seat frame, backrest, cushion, head restraint and belt anchorages each need their own application point and, in many standards, their own sequence. A rig whose cylinders are controlled individually covers that variation without being rebuilt for every standard.
What we ask a buyer to send
- The standard numbers and their current revision.
- The specimen: seat type, and whether the belt anchorage is on the seat or on the body.
- The load levels and the required load-hold time.
- The report format the laboratory has to produce.