Crash tested van racking

There are a number of different ways to conduct tests for safety. Some companies conduct tests using computer simulations and calculations. Others perform their own crash testing with their own set goals and criteria. For us, there is only one way. By adhering to international standards and having the testing done by an independent, approved testing institute.

We performed our first crash test in 2001 at Milbrook in England, in compliance with ECR R17.07. We passed the test with flying colours. Crash tests, requirements and references have changed over the years. Since then, we have conducted testing on a regular basis.

For our latest crash test, we have choosen RISE – Research Institutes of Sweden. RISE is a Swedish research institute with international collaboration programmes with industry, academia and the public sector. (www.ri.se)

The van racking was installed on a crash sled in the same way it is installed in a vehicle. Shelves and cassettes were then loaded with weights that are cut to 80% of the length of the shelf or cassette. This was all done to produce the highest possible stress. The crash sled was then transported at a speed of just over 50 km/hour straight into a concrete wall. Due to the weights on the shelves and in the cassettes, there is a second blow from behind, fractions of a second after the initial impact in just the same way as it would occur in your own car in a collision.

The test we preform follow the standard NS286, it is the only standard that has been developed for van racking in transport vehicles

In our crash tests, we challenge this standard and our van racking in different ways. On one hand, we minimize the number of attachment points to see where the limit for a safe van racking goes. On the other hand, we increase the weight in the van racking to get as realistic to a real situation as possible. The collision that occurs when the platform hits the stop takes place at 50 km/h and the g-force that you reach is about 25 G.

The fact that our System Edström racking systems pass these stringent crash tests is definitely a boon in terms of sales. This is especially true for the French market, where the end user with the familiar green racking can receive financial aid when choosing a crash tested van racking system.