The Life Of A Helmet

[Roadtorque]

On my other post relating to helmets & comments on various threads posted over a period of time, it would seem to be accepted that the life of a lid is about 5 years, & I ask myself Why, I'm not talking about helmets that that have been dropped or missused, but of the every day lid that you & I use,,

helmets made in three materials Polycarbonate, Fibreglass, & Carbonfibre seem to be the norm,, I can understand that helmets made from recycled washing up bowls, come within this time scale, but the other two No,,,cars bodies have been produced in F/G some of which are now 30 yrs old & still as good as the day they were made,,,

Aircraft now use C/B on a lot of external componants, these will be expected to last the life of the aircraft,,,

So for F/G & C/F why 5 yrs ???,,, The Polystyrene protection linning might degrade, but I think it will last a lot longer than 5 yrs,, OK the fabric linning & padding might be a bit rank after 5 yrs use, but is not a safety issue,, after all most linnings can be removed & replaced for cleaning,,,

So Why, Why, Why 5 years,,, I know some of you will tell me

But you know what I think

I think it's those double D rings, It's the strap thats only good for 5 yrs

[Korben]

Helmets take a lot of abuse.... Sun, Rain, Heat, Cold. Eventually (Just like most things) it starts to deteriorate. Eventually it's not going to be fit for use.

I also believe that most helmets take a knock or two without us realising it....

[Guest]

Helmets take a lot of abuse.... Sun, Rain, Heat, Cold. Eventually (Just like most things) it starts to deteriorate. Eventually it's not going to be fit for use.

I also believe that most helmets take a knock or two without us realising it....

So do hairy planes.

[Korben]

Helmets take a lot of abuse.... Sun, Rain, Heat, Cold. Eventually (Just like most things) it starts to deteriorate. Eventually it's not going to be fit for use.

I also believe that most helmets take a knock or two without us realising it....

So do hairy planes.

 

And look what happens to one of them when it crashes!!

[Guest]

On my other post relating to helmets & comments on various threads posted over a period of time, it would seem to be accepted that the life of a lid is about 5 years, & I ask myself Why, I'm not talking about helmets that that have been dropped or missused, but of the every day lid that you & I use,,

helmets made in three materials Polycarbonate, Fibreglass, & Carbonfibre seem to be the norm,, I can understand that helmets made from recycled washing up bowls, come within this time scale, but the other two No,,,cars bodies have been produced in F/G some of which are now 30 yrs old & still as good as the day they were made,,,

Aircraft now use C/B on a lot of external componants, these will be expected to last the life of the aircraft,,,

So for F/G & C/F why 5 yrs ???,,, The Polystyrene protection linning might degrade, but I think it will last a lot longer than 5 yrs,, OK the fabric linning & padding might be a bit rank after 5 yrs use, but is not a safety issue,, after all most linnings can be removed & replaced for cleaning,,,

So Why, Why, Why 5 years,,, I know some of you will tell me

But you know what I think

I think it's those double D rings, It's the strap thats only good for 5 yrs

 

with regards to cars etc

Most vehicles designed with a fibreglass exterior etc have an integral chassis that is the strength and safety of that design so that the outer parts are less of a safety matter whilst with a helmet they are an integral part of the safety and strength of it. most things such as helicopters have a rigurous safety check regulary to test and check for weakness/stress which im sure that if a helmet was subjected to this sort of testing it would be able to be used for longer but as most we know this will not be enforced so the companies give this time period in which they know the item will be safe as they can forsee but after that its debatable .....

im wittering

[Guest]

Helmets take a lot of abuse.... Sun, Rain, Heat, Cold. Eventually (Just like most things) it starts to deteriorate. Eventually it's not going to be fit for use.

I also believe that most helmets take a knock or two without us realising it....

So do hairy planes.

 

And look what happens to one of them when it crashes!!

 

hate to try land a helmet on a lake

[Roadtorque]

Helmets take a lot of abuse.... Sun, Rain, Heat, Cold. Eventually (Just like most things) it starts to deteriorate. Eventually it's not going to be fit for use.

I also believe that most helmets take a knock or two without us realising it....

 

Carbonfibre on an aircraft will suffer greater extreme temprature & weather changers than a helmet ever would,, same for fibreglass, so don't tell me that a helmet made out of this stuff is knackered after 5 yrs,, I don't belive it,,, military aircraft with carbonfibre will give this stuff a pounding fare greater than a lid will ever be subjected to

But the warning still applies,, if subjected to undue stress change it

[Roadtorque]

Helmets take a lot of abuse.... Sun, Rain, Heat, Cold. Eventually (Just like most things) it starts to deteriorate. Eventually it's not going to be fit for use.

I also believe that most helmets take a knock or two without us realising it....

So do hairy planes.

 

And look what happens to one of them when it crashes!!

 

Ask for a seat at the shallow end

[slugworth1987]

RT just to be a pain

Poly helmets are UV sensative 18month-3yrs max life

fiber and carbon helemets 3-5 if looked after.

im sure they will last longer but would u risk your head? i wouldnt.

poly's go brittle as does fiber glass over UV exposour.

carbon i couldnt tell you as i dont know much about it. i do know its not used much in the aviation trade (civil) as it goes brittle @ very low temps which wings, fuse and tail plane, control surfaces etc are subjected to. aircraft skins that are compersit are carbon fiber based but are also laminated and all other mystical and magical black magic works inside them also

[Roadtorque]

TimR

with regards to cars etc

Most vehicles designed with a fibreglass exterior etc have an integral chassis that is the strength and safety of that design so that the outer parts are less of a safety matter whilst with a helmet they are an integral part of the safety and strength of it. most things such as helicopters have a rigurous safety check regulary to test and check for weakness/stress which im sure that if a helmet was subjected to this sort of testing it would be able to be used for longer but as most we know this will not be enforced so the companies give this time period in which they know the item will be safe as they can forsee but after that its debatable .....

im wittering

Witter away dear boy, witter away, You can have your say, just like the rest of us

I tell you what, as helmet manufacture's I wouldn't mind a guaranteed £300 every 5 year off every biker in the UK

I've come to the conclusion it's not really the lid thats got a 5 yrs life

but the chin strap,, this is the part that takes most wear & tear,, the D ring fitting more so than the clunk click

again this all boils down to how often you use your lid,, every day or once a week

[Roadtorque]

RT just to be a pain

Poly helmets are UV sensative 18month-3yrs max life

fiber and carbon helemets 3-5 if looked after.

im sure they will last longer but would u risk your head? i wouldnt.

poly's go brittle as does fiber glass over UV exposour.

carbon i couldnt tell you as i dont know much about it. i do know its not used much in the aviation trade (civil) as it goes brittle @ very low temps which wings, fuse and tail plane, control surfaces etc are subjected to. aircraft skins that are compersit are carbon fiber based but are also laminated and all other mystical and magical black magic works inside them also

 

I know polycarbonate goes wonky in uv & not used externally on aircraft,

I have fitted fibreglass external ducts, raydomes & fairings to aircraft so I know that stuff is ok in uv

same with carbonfibre more & more of it is being used in the aircraft trade

I'll shut up, I'm retired & don't wish to talk about work

[bbobeckyj]

The foamed polystyrene cushoning goes hard, and loses its compression absorbtion ability when it repeatedly gets wet and dried.

The shell(s) are vunerable to UV light as mentioned above.

I assume the strap would wear through also, but I never had one long enough to find out.

As for how they come to the 5 year number, I have no idea. My insurer told me that the average milage of a biker is 2,500 to 3,000 a year, so if you do more than 12,500 in a year, does that mean you need to replace the lid every year?

[Bill_on_a_bike]

THe polysteirene lining is held in place with a glue, and if the lining comes away from the shell, it significantly reduces the helmets impact taking ability. This glue degrades after a while, and this is also what can happen when you drop a lid. This was my understanding anyway, i'm no chemist, but polysteirene and its glue are all organic chemicals, and they'll do all sorts of fancy stupid stuff given enough time.

[Korben]

Stop whinging about having to buy a new one anyway.... You have an excuse to buy a new helmet every few years.... My helmet life is 3 - 5 years... Feck waiting five years. I am getting a new one after three years!!!

[Hoody]

My $0.2 worth - Painted shells shouldn't be subject to UV damage like polycarb (or I suppose CF)

My understanding is it is more to do with the styrene inner that compacts and degrades.

My lids have a 3-5 years use, but usually closer the 3 year mark

[Guest]

The comments on the outer shells deteriorating are all quite valid. There is actually a very simple answer that has been missed. The main part of the helmet you rely on is the inner shell. That is what absorbs the impact, and cushions your head - the outer shell is there to disperse the impact across the inner more evenly. Your own sweat will eat away at the inner shell, regardless of how clean you keep it. If half the inner shell has disintergrated, you can't rely on it for full protection!

Everyday use will see the inner shell deteriorate quite quickly, and for that, you should replace it every 3 years. Occassional use, well looked after, and stored away from UV - 5 years.

Also bear in mind, those of us who ride through the winter as well. The road salt that is currently eating your bike? That also eats the outer shell. Ideally, keep that as in tact as possible - you don't want that splitting open now do you?!