Comparative performance of the Cambridge abrasion machine in different laboratories

Abstract

Motorcycle protective clothing has been well established as an effective means of preventing abrasion injuries to motorcycle riders involved in crashes, yet the performance of this clothing can be variable. The European Standard for motorcycle protective clothing assesses the abrasion resistance quality of motorcycle protective clothing using tightly specified equipment. The absolute time required to abrade a material is reliant on the specifications of the abrasion machine, and it is unknown if measurements taken on machines with different specifications can provide useful information. This study examined the abrasion resistance of materials tested on two different machines built to slightly different specifications. These results confirm machines of different specifications can produce comparable results, and demonstrate capacity to use a non-standard machine to examine comparative performance of materials.