What is DIN51130 DIN51097 ramp testing?

Ramp testing is used as a measure of slip resistance and is the critical angle at which two test persons walking in a controlled manner, shod in standard footwear or barefoot, on an inclined plane consisting of the surface being tested and a contaminant reach the limit of safe walking. The angle of slip determines the coefficient of friction.
In 2021 BS 7976, DIN 51130 and DIN 51097 were superseded by BS EN 16165. Whereas DIN 51130 categorised the surface with an R rating (R9/R10/R11/R12 and R13) and DIN 51097 an ABC rating EN 16165 contains no such categories. Specification is solely down to each individual country. Consequently BS EN 16165 does not contain these ratings. However, in Germany DIN EN 16165 has a national forward which uses the R and ABC ratings to specify floors. The rating remains the same as in both DIN 51130 and DIN 51097. If an R or ABC rating is required, it is advisable to reference the DIN EN 16165.
Each R and ABC rating has a range and so it is not possible to say that, for example, an R10 will be suitable as a slip resistant floor. There can be significant differences across the range in each of the ratings. A surface that is say, at the top of the R9 category may not be much different to a surface at the bottom of the R10 rating.
R values obtained from the shod ramp test are generated using oil as the contaminant between standard cleated boots and the surface. ABC values are obtained from the barefoot ramp test and generated using soapy water as the contaminant between the barefoot and the surface. Due to these different contaminants and soles (cleated boot and skin) it is not possible to obtain a correlation between each ramp tests or the pendulum test which uses water as the contaminant between the surface and a standard rubber. Therefore, you cannot convert R or ABC ratings to pendulum values.
Whereas both ramp tests may have their value they cannot be used for onsite testing and so only ‘ex-factory’ ratings can be generated. It is useful to remember that in service and in the event of an accident the floor will have to be measured with a portable machine and both the HSE and the UKSRG recommend the pendulum.
Historically, R ratings have been used by architects’, designers etc. and there are other areas and applications that use R ratings (generally specifications that have been generated for use across European countries and include the UK) or ABC ratings (shower areas, swimming pools etc.) along with some British and European standards but if using R or ABC ratings to specify floors it would be wise to know the performance history of products used in the past and how the ratings relate to the application.