25mm in the case of a 'Strap' which has a length critical to the correct location of the 'Lap-Sash Point'; or
100 mm in the case of other 'Straps'.
Furthermore, where a manufacturer, for "in-service" replacement purposes, provides for replacement of parts of a 'Seatbelt Assembly' rather than the assembly as a whole, each of the 2 sub-assemblies of the 'Seatbelt Assembly' which can be separated from each other by the normal unlatching process shall be permanently and legibly marked in accordance with the requirements of this clause.
'Seatbelt Assemblies' shall comply with either:
The AS 2596 referred to in clause 4.2.3.4 but excluding clauses 1,2,4,15,16,17,18 and AS 2597.13 - 1983: "Determination of Dynamic Performance";
the maximum dummy displacement limit in AS 2596-1983 section 14.1 (c), does not apply to 'Seatbelt Assemblies' required to comply with ADR 69/...
'Seatbelt Assemblies' required to comply with ADR 69/... need not comply with the elongation and Hysteresis requirements specified in section 6.5 of AS 1753 - 1990; or not used.
any other 'Approved' standard accepted as equivalent.
Instructions for use of 'Seatbelt Assemblies' shall be included in the vehicle handbook, or otherwise supplied with the vehicle. The instructions shall include the following text:
"WARNING: Seatbelts are designed to bear upon the bony structure of the body, and should be worn low across the front of the pelvis or the pelvis, chest and shoulders, as applicable; wearing the lap section of the belt across the abdominal area must be avoided.
"Seatbelts should be adjusted as firmly as possible, consistent with comfort, to provide the protection for which they have been designed. A slack belt will greatly reduce the protection afforded to the wearer.
"Care should be taken to avoid contamination of the webbing with polishes, oils and chemicals, and particularly battery acid. Cleaning may safely be carried out using mild soap and water. The belt should be replaced if webbing becomes frayed, contaminated or damaged.
"It is essential to replace the entire assembly after it has been worn in a severe impact even if damage to the assembly is not obvious.
"Belts should not be worn with straps twisted.
"Each belt assembly must only be used by one occupant; it is dangerous to put a belt around a child being carried on the occupant's lap."
In the case where a 'Seatbelt Assembly' incorporates an 'Automatic Length Adjusting and Locking Retractor' or an 'Emergency Locking Retractor':
"WARNING: No modifications or additions should be made by the user which will either prevent the seat belt adjusting devices from operating to remove slack, or prevent the seat belt assembly from being adjusted to remove slack."; plus a description of the adjustments necessary to ensure that the lap and sash portions of the 'Seatbelt Assembly' fit as firmly as possible consistent with comfort; and instructions on the correct use of any device or devices included in the 'Seatbelt Assembly' which, upon manual or automatic operation, prevent the belt from being retracted.
When installed the 'Seatbelt Assembly' webbing shall not contact any sharp edges which could abrade or cut the webbing during normal use or in an accident. If necessary, the webbing shall be protected.
ADJUSTMENT REQUIREMENTS
Each 'Seatbelt Assembly' shall be so designed that, with the adjustment provided, it shall be capable of being 'Correctly Fitted' for:
in the case of the driver's seating position, a '5th Percentile Adult Female' with the seat in the rearmost driving position and a '95th Percentile Adult Male' with the 'Seat' in the foremost driving position; and if installed at any other seating position, a '50th Percentile 6 Years Old Child' with the 'Seat' in the rearmost riding position and a '95th Percentile Adult Male' with the 'Seat' in the foremost riding position.
Furthermore, in the case of the fittings to the '95th Percentile Adult Male' in 4.3.1.1 and 4.3.1.2 above, the design shall provide for at least 75 mm of additional 'Strap' in a 'Lap Belt' and at least 75 mm of additional 'Strap' in both the lap 'Strap' and upper torso 'Strap' of a 'Lap-Sash Belt' or 'Harness Belt'. The purpose of this clause is to accommodate a stouter person than represented by the 95th percentile anthropometric dimensions.
In the case of a 'Seatbelt Assembly' incorporating a manual adjusting device, the following requirements shall be met when the assembly is correctly fitted for a '95th Percentile Adult Male' and a '50th Percentile 6 Years Old Child' independently, when the 'Seat' is in the foremost riding or driving position (Figure 2 refers):
for tightening, the adjustment shall be by a single action at an 'Accessible' point which lies between Line C and Line E and 'Forward' of Line FOS; and for loosening, the entire adjusting device shall lie between Line C and Line D and 'Forward' to Line KPS and there shall be one point on the device which is 'Accessible'.
For the purpose of determining whether the point is 'Accessible', the dummy or occupant may be removed.
Any free end of a 'Strap' shall:
be designed so as to prevent it from passing through the adjuster under normal adjustment operations, and with the strap fully extended the 'Strap'/adjuster combination shall be capable of withstanding, for not less than 30 seconds a static tensile load of 9 kN applied to the load bearing end of 'Strap' with the adjuster restrained as in the vehicle; and be restrained by a positive design feature to adopt a position against another 'Strap'.
The free end of a 'Strap' on any seat belt for a centre seating position or for an 'Outboard Seating Position' not adjacent to a vehicle door need not meet this requirement.
Further, with the 'Strap' fully extended, there shall be not less than 25 mm of material extending from the device to provide a grip for adjustment purposes. The material may either be attached to or form part of the free end of the 'Strap.'
BUCKLE REQUIREMENTS
It shall not be possible to adjust a 'Lap-Sash Belt' so that when correctly fitted for a '5th Percentile Adult Female', the 'Lap Sash Point' is less than 125 mm in the case of 'Seats' with 'Forward' and 'Rearward' adjustment, or 175 mm in the case of fixed 'Seats', from the 'Seating Reference Plane' when measured along the centreline of the pelvic restraint section of the belt. This requirement shall be met with the 'Seat' in its foremost and rearmost driving or riding position and with the 'Seat' back at the design 'Seat Back Angle'.
In cases where the 'Buckle Component' of a 'Lap-Sash Belt' 'Strap' can be latched with part of an assembly intended for an adjacent seating position, the design shall be such that the requirements of clause 4.4.1 are met irrespective of the combination used.
In cases where the 'Buckle Component' of a 'Seatbelt Assembly' can be engaged either wholly or partially with the 'Buckle Component' of a 'Seatbelt Assembly' intended for an adjacent seating position, the design shall be such that the 'Seatbelt Assembly' so formed shall comply with the requirements of clause 14 of the AS 2596 - 1983 "Seat Belt Assemblies for Motor Vehicles".
This requirement shall apply irrespective of whether the wholly or partially engaged components will separate without operation of the unlatching device.
This requirement shall not apply in cases where 'Seatbelt Assemblies' fitted to adjacent seating positions are from the same manufacturer and have the same buckle design.
In the case of a 'Lap-Sash Belt' incorporating a retractor, the design shall be such that in the fully retracted position, the 'Buckle Component' associated with the retracting 'Strap' must adopt a position that is either:
'Accessible'; and within 300 mm of both foremost and rearmost points on the 'Seating Reference Locus' when viewed in side elevation or within 300 mm of Point 0 and Point N when viewed in side elevation; and within 400 mm of the 'Seating Reference Plane' when viewed in plan; or can be moved to a position which meets the requirements of clauses 4.4.4.1.0 to 4.4.4.1.2 above by a manual operation applied to the assembly at points which meet the requirements of clauses 4.4.4.1.0 to 4.4.4.1.2.
This requirement shall not apply to a seating position adjacent to an access door, where the 'Seat' must hinge or fold to permit access to another seating position.
In the case of a vehicle with one front seating position only, or with 2 front 'Seats' each providing for one seating position only, the 'Buckle Component' on that part of a 'Lap-Sash Belt' which does not include the retracting 'Strap' shall be supported by a rigid member which may pivot, or in such a manner that after being correctly fitted for a '95th Percentile Adult Male' with the 'Seat' in the foremost driving or riding position, unlatching of the buckle assembly and removal of the occupant from the seating position does not result in any point on the component moving downwards such that the vertical component of movement is more than 50 mm.
When unlatched after the assembly has been correctly fitted for a '95th Percentile Adult Male' with the 'Seat' in the foremost driving or riding position and a '5th Percentile Adult Female' with the 'Seat' in the rearmost driving or riding position, independently, there shall be a point on the component which is:
'Accessible';
within 300 mm of both the foremost and rearmost points on the 'Seating Reference Locus' when viewed in side elevation; and within 150 mm to 400 mm of the 'Seating Reference Plane' when viewed in plan.
For the purpose of determining whether the point is 'Accessible', the dummy or occupant may be removed.
In the case of outboard seating positions not provided for in clause 4.4.5 the part of the assembly which does not include the 'Strap' designed to pass over the torso of the occupant shall be so restrained by a positive design feature that one point at least cannot pass 'Rearward' of the line of contact of the 'Seat' cushion with the 'Seat' back.
The line of contact of the 'Seat' cushion with the 'Seat' back is the front boundary of the area of contact across the 'Seat' width of the 'Seat' cushion with the 'Seat' back when the 'Seat' cushion is unoccupied.
The requirements of clause 4.4.6 shall be met when a folding or hinged 'Seat' is in its normal position. Re-establishment of such a 'Seat' may include a manual operation to re-establish part of the 'Seatbelt Assembly'.
In the case of 'Lap-Sash Belt' assemblies not incorporating 'Emergency Locking Retractors', or Automatic Length Adjusting and Locking Retractors' fitted to outboard seating positions vehicles.
The design shall provide for a stowage feature for the part of the assembly which includes the 'Strap' designed to pass over the pelvis or torso of the occupant, to facilitate that part of the assembly, when unlatched, being kept clear of the vehicle floor and the lower edge of the door opening.
The area of vehicle floor does not include areas which are inaccessible to the occupant's feet during travel or during entry and exit.
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SEATBELT COMPONENTS
In all cases where the 'Strap' passes through another component, other than a 'Sash Guide' used in conjunction with an 'Emergency Locking Retractor', and there is relative movement between the 'Strap' and the component as a result of adjusting operations, the tensile strength of the webbing shall not be reduced to less than 14.7 kN or 75% of the 'Dry Breaking Strength', whichever is the greater, after 2,500 cycles of relative movement under the following test conditions:
the tensile load in all parts of the test 'Strap' during the working stroke of the 2 strokes of each cycle shall be not less than 13 N;
the working stroke shall be not less than 150 mm nor more than 200 mm; and the angle which the centreline of each end of the test 'Strap' makes with the component shall be not less critical to 'Strap' abrasion than that nominated by the vehicle 'Manufacturer' as representative of such angle of the 'Strap' in use, when the assembly is correctly fitted for a '5th Percentile Adult Female' with the 'Seat' in the rearmost driving or riding position, except that in the case where the design provides for the centrelines of the straps to be separated when viewed normal to the plane of one 'Strap', then such angle of separation in the test may be any angle greater than 25°, and the angle of separation of the centrelines of the 'Straps' when viewed in the plane of one 'Strap' may be any angle less than l0°.
In the case of a 'Lap-Sash Belt' incorporating an 'Emergency Locking Retractor' (other than a 'Type 4N Retractor' , for which see Appendix A). where, during the wearing and retracting operations, there is relative movement between the retracting 'Strap' and the 'Sash Guide' system other than the retractor itself the tensile strength of the webbing shall not be reduced to less than 14.7 kN or 75% of the 'Dry Breaking Strength', whichever is the greater, after the retracting 'Strap' has been drawn through the 'Sash Guide' system for 50,000 cycles under the following test conditions:
the tensile load in all parts of the test 'Strap' during the working stroke of the 2 strokes of each cycle shall not be less than 18 N;
the tensile load in the test 'Strap' at one point in the cycle shall be reduced to zero;
the working stoke shall be not less than 200 mm;
the orientation of the test 'Strap' relative to the 'Sash Guide' shall be such that:
the 'Sash Guide' shall be in its design configuration except that, for 'Sash Guides' designed to pivot, the angle of the axis of rotation may vary from its design configuration provided that such variation is not greater than 5° the part of the test 'Strap' which simulates the 'Strap' passing from the 'Sash Guide' to the next 'Sash Guide' or to the retractor, shall be in the design configuration; and the part of the test 'Strap' which simulates the torso 'Strap' shall be pulled in a vertical plane not more than 45° or a longitudinal plane when viewed in plan, and the direction of pull in that plane shall vary over a range of not less than 65° during the working stroke of each cycle; and all 'Sash Guides' for the one assembly shall be tested simultaneously.
The requirements of this clause shall not apply to relative movement between the 'Strap' and the retractor, at the retractor.
Buckle-Spring Fatigue Resistance
In the case where a spring is incorporated in the unlatching mechanism of a buckle, the load required to operate the spring shall not be reduced by more than 20% after the spring has been subjected to 50,000 operations each involving a movement not less than 95% of the design movement for buckle unlatching.
RETRACTORS (other than 'Type 4N Retractors', for which see Appendix A).
All retractors incorporated in 'Seatbelt Assemblies' shall comply with the requirements of clause 4.6.2 and either clause 4.6.3 or 4.6.4.
General Requirements for Retractors
After being subjected to the retractor durability test of clause 4.8, the retractor shall:
when locked, either:
withstand a tensile load of not less than 9 kN applied to the 'Strap'; or be subjected to the strength of assembly test of clause 14.1 of AS 2596-1983 "Seatbelt Assemblies for Motor Vehicles".
withstand a tensile load of not less than 9 kN applied to the 'Strap'. For the purpose of this test the 'Strap' shall be fully withdrawn and the locking mechanism shall be rendered inoperative.
In cases where the retracting 'Strap' of a 'Lap-Sash Belt' is the torso 'Strap', the retraction force in the 'Strap' before and after the retractor has been subjected to the retractor durability test of clause 4.8, shall be not less than 2 N nor more than l0 N, under the following test conditions:
the 'Sash Guide' system and the retractor shall be in the design configuration. In the case of a 'Sash Guide' system with an adjustable 'Sash Guide' the retractor shall be capable of meeting the requirements of this clause with the 'Sash Location Point' set in any position of adjustment;
the part of the test 'Strap' which simulates the torso 'Strap' shall be withdrawn through the 'Sash Guide' system until it is within 430 mm of its fully extended condition;
the 'Strap' shall be allowed to retract until a point on the 'Strap' is 450 + 20 mm, measured along the 'Strap' from its position when the 'Strap' is fully extended. It shall then be held stationary at this extension by a force applied in a downward direction at 20 +10° to the vertical in a vertical plane which is at 35 +10° to a longitudinal plane when viewed in plan, and shall not be withdrawn again until the retracting force has been determined;
the retraction force shall be measured in the test 'Strap' 'Forward' of the point where it would contact the first 'Sash Guide' device after passing over the shoulder of the wearer; and where the assembly incorporates a device that upon manual or automatic operation, prevents the belt from being completely retracted, such a device shall not be operating when this requirement is assessed.
'Automatic Length Adjusting and Locking Retractors'
The locking mechanism of an 'Automatic Length Adjusting and Locking Retractor' shall be designed to provide a locked position for at least every 30 mm of 'Strap' extension from the position when the 'Seatbelt Assembly' is correctly fitted for a '50th Percentile 6 Years Old Child', with the 'Seat' in the rearmost riding position.
'Emergency Locking Retractors' (other than 'Type 4N Retractors', for which see Appendix A).
'Emergency Locking Retractors' shall lock when the retractor and any associated devices to sense acceleration are accelerated at not more than 5 m/s2, the peak acceleration being attained in not less than 40 milliseconds.
Furthermore with a point on the external 'Strap' fixed the locking device shall limit 'Strap' movement, measured from the time of application of the acceleration, to not more than: