How Do You Test Body Armor?

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How Do You Test Body Armor?

• Body Armor

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• Shoot it. Every type of body armor must pass a
  set of military ballistics tests before it's
  distributed to soldiers. The exact requirements
  for passing these testshow strong the armor must
  be, and in what conditionsare classified,
  according to an Army spokesman. (Vests worn by
  law-enforcement officers must undergo a similar
  process, laid out in a document published by the
  National Institute of Justice.)
• Army Test
• Army's report on the Dragon Skin tests,
  summarized here, reveals that testers started by
  measuring, weighing, and photographing the armor
  vests, and then taking a series of X-rays. Then
  they subjected the armor to a series of gunshots,
  at different angles and from various weapons.
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• The shooting part of an armor test takes place in
  two phases. In the "penetration and backface
  signature" phase, testers set the vest against a
  clay tablet and fire six rounds at specified
  locations, including spots over the heart and on
  the sides. After each round, they examine the
  dented clay to measure how deeply the bullet
  impacted the armor. The test for lighter armor
  requires shooting at four vestssix bullets to
  the front of each, six to the backwhich makes 48
  bullets in all. If any of them penetrate the vest
  or dent the clay more than 44 millimeters, the
  armor will be deemed unsafe.

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• Environmental Conditions also tested
• Testers also simulate different environmental
  conditions. For example, they might shoot the
  vest after spraying it with water. For the Dragon
  Skin tests, the Army looked at a temperature
  range of minus 20 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, plus
  a high-heat 160-degree condition. They also
  gauged the armor's strength at high altitude, and
  after soaking it in oil or salt water.
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• Who conducts these tests, anyway? Many armor
  manufacturers send their new products to one of
  the two major ballistics testing facilities, H.P.
  White and United States Test Laboratory. These
  places have standardized shooting ranges and
  camera systems that document the tests. (See
  video of the Dragon Skin tests here.) Vests
  intended for police also have to be approved by
  the National Law Enforcement and Corrections
  Technology Center, which inspects for
  craftsmanship.
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• This is probably the question that most people
  will ask, can civilians buy body armor? well, it
  depends on the law of your state.