Selection and Application Guide to Personal Body Armor NIJ Guide 100–01 (Update to NIJ Guide 100–98) U.S
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NOTICE Portions of this guide have been superseded by NCJ 247281, Selection and Application Guide to Ballistic-Resistant Body Armor For Law Enforcement, Corrections and Public Safety: NIJ Selection and Application Guide-0101.06. This new resource supersedes the portions of NIJ Guide 100-01 (NCJ 189633) that deal with ballistic-resistant armor. It does not supersede those portions that deal with stab-resistant armor. A separate guide on stab-resistant armor will be published when NIJ Standard-0115.00, Stab Resistance of Personal Body Armor (NCJ 183652), is updated. U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs National Institute of Justice Selection and Application Guide to Personal Body Armor NIJ Guide 100–01 (Update to NIJ Guide 100–98) U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs 810 Seventh Street N.W. Washington, DC 20531 John Ashcroft Attorney General Deborah J. Daniels Assistant Attorney General Sarah V. Hart Director, National Institute of Justice Office of Justice Programs National Institute of Justice World Wide Web Site World Wide Web Site http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs National Institute of Justice Selection and Application Guide to Personal Body Armor NIJ Guide 100–01 (Replaces Selection and Application Guide to Police Body Armor, NIJ Guide 100–98) November 2001 Published by: The National Institute of Justice’s National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center Lance Miller, Testing Manager P.O. Box 1160, Rockville, MD 20849–1160 800–248–2742; 301–519–5060 NCJ 189633 National Institute of Justice Sarah V. Hart Director Office of Science and Technology Wendy Howe Program Manager, Standards and Testing Points of view are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the U.S. Department of Justice. This document is not intended to create, does not create, and may not be relied upon to create any rights, substantive or procedural, enforceable by any party in any matter civil or criminal. The National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center is supported by Cooperative Agreement 96–MU–MU–K011 awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice. The products, manufacturers, and organizations discussed in this publication are presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice; National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce; or Aspen Systems Corporation. The National Institute of Justice is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Office for Victims of Crime. SELECTION AND APPLICATION GUIDE TO PERSONAL BODY ARMOR Foreword NIJ is pleased to release this updated edition of NIJ’s guide to selecting body armor. The update incorporates several important changes: First, it includes information from the new Ballistic Resistance of Personal Body Armor, NIJ Standard–0101.04, which was the result of 3 years of study, research, and collaboration by the Office of Law Enforcement Standards (OLES) at the National Institute of Standards and Tech- nology. It also contains information on NIJ’s new Stab Resistance of Personal Body Armor, NIJ Standard–0115.00, which was developed by OLES in conjunction with the Police Scientific Development Branch of the United Kingdom and released in September 2000. Second, the title has changed from the Selection and Application Guide to Police Body Armor to the Selection and Application Guide to Personal Body Armor. The title change reflects recogni- tion of the need for corrections officers to wear body armor just as law enforcement officers do. We at NIJ, the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) sys- tem, and OLES are excited about the forward progress and momentum that these new standards will produce in body armor technology. We hope criminal justice agencies will use this guide as they select protective armor that is suit- ed to their individual needs. Your comments on the usefulness of this document or suggestions for future editions are welcome. Please send them to NLECTC, c/o Selection and Application Guide to Personal Body Armor, P.O. Box 1160, Rockville, MD 20849–1160; fax to 301–519–5149; or e-mail to [email protected]. Sarah V. Hart Director National Institute of Justice iii SELECTION AND APPLICATION GUIDE TO PERSONAL BODY ARMOR Table of Contents Foreword ....................................................................................................................................iii 1. Overview of the Guide ............................................................................................................1 2. A History of Body Armor........................................................................................................3 The History of NIJ’s Body Armor Testing Program ........................................................4 The Use of Body Armor Today ........................................................................................6 3. Why Wear Body Armor? ........................................................................................................7 The Cost ............................................................................................................................7 The Ballistic Threat ..........................................................................................................8 The Stab Threat................................................................................................................11 Not Just Bullets and Knives ............................................................................................11 2,500 Reasons ..................................................................................................................12 4. Body Armor Construction ....................................................................................................15 How Does Ballistic-Resistant Body Armor Work? ........................................................15 How Does Stab-Resistant Body Armor Work? ..............................................................15 Construction Methods......................................................................................................16 Model and Style Designation ..........................................................................................17 ISO 9000..........................................................................................................................19 Materials Used ................................................................................................................20 5. The NIJ Standards ................................................................................................................23 Developing the NIJ Standard for Ballistic Resistance of Personal Body Armor............23 The Current Standard, NIJ Standard–0101.04 ................................................................24 Introducing Stab-Resistance of Personal Body Armor, NIJ Standard–0115.00..............25 Cooperative Efforts Between NLECTC and Industry ....................................................26 The Standards Review Process........................................................................................28 6. Ballistic-Resistant Personal Body Armor............................................................................31 Selecting the Appropriate Level of Protection ................................................................31 The “Takeaway” Problem................................................................................................32 The Corrections Threat ....................................................................................................33 Armor Classifications for Ballistic-Resistant Armor ......................................................34 Requirements ..................................................................................................................36 Performance Testing ........................................................................................................38 V50 Testing ......................................................................................................................40 Ballistic Limit Testing ....................................................................................................41 Acceptance and In-Service Testing ................................................................................41 7. Stab-Resistant Personal Body Armor..................................................................................43 Armor Classifications for Stab-Resistant Armor ............................................................43 Developing the Testing Procedure ..................................................................................44 Overtest............................................................................................................................44 v SELECTION AND APPLICATION GUIDE TO PERSONAL BODY ARMOR 8. Armor Selection ....................................................................................................................45 Armor Styles....................................................................................................................45