Overview
ISO 15027-3:2012, "Immersion suits - Part 3: Test methods," defines standardized test methods used to evaluate immersion suits, including constant wear suits (including helicopter transit suits) and abandonment suits. It specifies how to prepare, condition and test components and whole suits so that performance claims in ISO 15027-1 and ISO 15027-2 can be verified consistently by manufacturers, test laboratories and certifying authorities.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Scope and sampling
- Test methods apply to constant wear and abandonment suits; common materials/components may be sampled once for a range of suits.
- Preconditioning
- Specified preconditioning includes the rotating shock bin test and temperature cycling before other tests.
- Human test subjects
- Human subject use is required for several tests. Selection, medical fitness, gender mix, sizes (six subjects across height/mass bands) and dress (manufacturer-specified underclothing or standard) are defined.
- Leakage measurement
- Two procedures: jumping and swimming leakage tests. Pre-wetting, specified weighing before/after events, and cleaning/conditioning cycles (manufacturer recommendation or five cycles) are required. Measured leakage values feed into thermal testing thresholds.
- Thermal test
- Allows use of a validated thermal manikin. The manikin must reproduce immersion suit insulation within ±10% of human test results and meet construction/control segment requirements (e.g., multi‑segment, programmable temperature control).
- Fuel resistance
- Exterior fabrics, seams and components are submerged in diesel (EN 590) for 24 h, surface oil wiped off and then subjected to hydrostatic (ISO 811) and seam tensile (ISO 13935‑2) tests.
- Flammability
- Full-suit exposure to burning petrol or n‑heptane over a test pan to determine burning or melting after removal; procedures and pass/fail observations are specified.
- Rotating shock bin
- Preconditioning bin with 150 rotations at 6 rpm; post-test examination for wear and insulation migration.
- Ergonomic and performance testing
- Procedures for assessing fit, field of vision, donning, boarding and other human-performance aspects are included.
Applications - who uses this standard
- Immersion suit manufacturers for product development, quality control and certification.
- Independent testing laboratories to perform repeatable, accredited conformity tests.
- Maritime operators, offshore and helicopter transport safety managers for procurement and compliance checks.
- Regulatory bodies and classification societies verifying that suits meet ISO 15027-1/2 safety requirements.
Related standards
Keywords: ISO 15027-3, immersion suits, test methods, thermal manikin, leakage measurement, flammability test, fuel resistance, rotating shock bin, constant wear suits, abandonment suits.
