Inspection System for Body and Vehicle Ballistic Armor

The Phase II objective is to develop and field test a rugged, handheld nondestructive testing (NDT) system for armor plates to assess non-ballistic damage. We will acquire dozens of plates from at least two vendors who supply 7.62 mm armor to the Army. These plates will be exposed to various levels of damage and NDT data will be collected throughout the aging/damage process. At several discrete levels of damage, multiple plates will be tested ballistically to determine fitness for service. NDT and thickness data will be correlated to ballistic performance. NDT data will be collected using both laboratory instrumentation and a Phase II prototype we will develop by expanding the Phase I breadboard. This prototype will be vetted against production requirements so that the final prototype can readily be transitioned to a production system in Phase III. We expect the NDT method and equipment developed in Phase II will detect degradation, and measure thickness, of polymer composite backers without disturbing the padding or fabric covering. We will also investigate its used for detecting cracks in the ceramic plate. The method will be based on measuring behavior of reflected, low power, non-ionizing microwave energy transmitted into the armor.