178.33b-7 Design qualification test.

(a) Drop testing. (1) To ensure that creep does not affect the ability of the container to retain the contents, each new design must be drop tested as follows: Three groups of twenty-five filled containers must be dropped from 1.8 m (5.9 ft) on to a rigid, non-resilient, flat and horizontal surface. One group must be conditioned at 38°C (100°F) for 26 weeks, the second group for 100 hours at 50°C (122°F) and the third group for 18 hours at 55°C (131°F), prior to performing the drop test. The closure, or sealing component of the container, must not be protected during the test. The orientation of the test container at drop must be statistically random, but direct impact on the valve or valve closure must be avoided.

(2) Criteria for passing the drop test: The containers must not break or leak.

(b) Design qualification testing must be completed if the design is manufactured with a new mold or if there is any change in the properties of the material of construction.

[74 FR 2268 Jan. 14, 2009; 75 FR 73, Jan. 4, 2010]