Are you curious about how the level test of bulletproof vests comes about? Can you just use different guns or weapons to shoot a bullet on the bulletproof vests?
Of course not!! This is a very complete test process and follow-up operating system. Today’s SBA will take you to understand!
Significance Of Bulletproof Vest Test
n the mid-1970s, NIJ began to develop performance standards for bulletproof vests to help people believe that law enforcement personnel can be properly and consistently protected every time they face gunshots while performing their tasks.
Since then, the tested bulletproof vests have saved more than thousands of police and law enforcement personnel every year. The names of soldiers and civilians, which further reflects the importance of bulletproof clothing testing.
NIJ’s latest BulletProof Test Standard
NIJ’s latest bulletproof clothing standard – ballistic resistance of bulletproof clothing, NIJ standard-0101.06, issued in July 2018 – revised the minimum performance requirements and test methods of the latest ballistic resistance of bulletproof clothing, aiming to protect the torso from gunfire.
Although this standard and all other NIJ standards are voluntary – that is, manufacturers are not required to comply with these standards – many public safety agencies require compliance with NIJ standards before purchasing equipment.
Through the NIJ compliance test plan (CTP), manufacturers can voluntarily submit equipment samples for testing by NIJ approved laboratories to determine whether their models meet specific standards.
The National Center of the national law enforcement and punishment technology center system (nlectc national) supervises the conformity assessment of NIJ’s bulletproof clothing.
With the support of NIJ, nlectc national manages two different stages of conformity assessment through CTP.
The first phase involves documenting the design of the armor model and testing up to 28 samples voluntarily submitted by the manufacturer to verify that the model meets the minimum performance requirements of the standard.
Models that meet the standards will be added to the list of products that meet the standards, which can be found here.
Lance Miller, national director of nlectc, said: “the follow-up program provides an additional set of monitoring tools for the manufacturing process.”.
“We want to ensure that men and women who wear these vests every day have enough confidence in these products, because we can provide them with the best protection.
How the Program Works
The follow-up plan is applicable to the armor test model that is considered to meet the 2008 NIJ standard, and no small changes have been made on this basis.
Every month, CTP staff will review the manufacturer’s current number of models on the list of compliant products that have not been inspected in the past 10 months, and prepare a list of models and manufacturers for subsequent inspection.
Independent inspectors conduct surprise inspections at the locations of these manufacturers.
If the manufacturer disagrees with this subsequent inspection and test, its armor will not remain in the list of compliant products. The inspector randomly selects two newly manufactured vests for each identified model of interest and sends them to a NIJ approved and certified Laboratory for testing.
The laboratory sends the test results to underwriter laboratories, an independent, non-profit testing and certification agency, for processing.
At the same time, the lab gave the vest to the CTP staff, who also inspected the structure of the armor.
These two steps – laboratory testing and construction inspection – help to ensure that the manufacturer has manufactured the newly manufactured vest in the same manner as the vest previously submitted for phase 1 testing.
What Did The Inspectors Find
In September 2010, the inspectors conducted the first follow-up inspection.
According to Jamie Dean, national conformity assessment coordinator of nlectc, as of August 2012, they visited 90 production bases in five countries (the United States, Canada, Mexico, Colombia and the people’s Republic of China) and tested 222 bulletproof models.
Five of these models sustained multiple perforations during laboratory testing. Subsequently, the manufacturer recalled and replaced more than 1750 pieces of actual combat armor to ensure that practitioners have effective ballistic bulletproof vests that meet the NIJ standard.
The manufacturer also took corrective actions to repair the cause of the perforation.
“NIJ and nlectc staff actively work with the manufacturer to determine the root cause of these performance problems.” Miller explained.
“In the event of a major problem, the manufacturer voluntarily takes immediate action to recall and replace the device, or takes some corrective action on site.”
So far, inspectors have found eight models, whose structure may affect ballistic performance.
For example, in one case, the number of layers in the subsequent test vest sample is different from that in the original sample; In another case, a leaky cover allows water to penetrate the bulletproof plate.
The inspectors also determined 33 types of models, with slight changes in their structure, which will not affect the ballistic performance.
In response, the manufacturer worked with the CTP team to implement quality control improvements at multiple locations to prevent these and other construction changes.
Moving Forward Together
An inherent feature of the follow-up inspection process is increased communication between the body armor manufacturer and the evaluator.
“The program provides an opportunity to work more closely with manufacturers to ensure that live ammunition armor is more NIJ compliant,” Phillips said.
“It allows manufacturers to express their concerns, and in turn, we can explain the reasons behind our decisions and how these decisions support the entire law enforcement community.
“NIJ expects no major changes in the follow-up process, but staff will continue to explore opportunities for improvement.” Miller pointed out: “I think we see it as part of the overall compliance testing plan.”.
“We regard the standard itself as a living document with flexibility and can adapt to the changing trends of the industry and new test methods. I think there is no difference in the follow-up plan.”
“We have obviously learned a lot,” he added.
“As we continue our dialogue with manufacturers, we will continue to learn more about the manufacturing process of bulletproof vests and how quality management in the industry works.
As we learn more, we will adjust the plan.”
