Testing Military Body Armor

This military body armor for sale that is for sale is made to form a synthetic fiber that would stop a projectile or a bullet from hitting your body. But how are we assured that these protective gears that we are using are really offering the best and maximum protection and of course, not to mention the comfort that it should offer to the wearer. But how do they test these body armors? is their testing reliable? That, we also have to consider. Take a look at this.

Shoot it. This is the way every type of body armor must pass a set of military ballistics tests before it will be distributed to the soldiers. The exact requirements for passing these tests – how strong the armor should be and in what conditions – are classified. However, one thing is for sure, the testers started it by measuring, weighing and photographing the armor vests. Then, they took a series of X-rays. After that, different series of gunshots are subjected to the body armors, at different angles and various weapons.

Two phases happen in the shooting part of the test. One is the penetration and backface signature phase wherein the tester set the vest against a clay tablet and fire six rounds at specified locations, most importantly at the heart and on the other sides.

               

The second phase is measuring the armor’s ballistic limit known as V50 – the velocity at which a bullet will penetrate the armor 50 percent of the time. The tester shoots the vest 12 times, adjusting the bullet’s velocity each time depending on whether the last one penetrated. Aside from that phases, testers also simulate different environmental conditions. For example, shooting the vest after spraying it with water.

But who do these tests? Many armor manufacturers have these two testing facilities as their testers, H.P White and US Test Laboratory.