1.1
This practice applies only to the conditioning of soft body armor via temperature, humidity, and tumbling exposure prior to ballistic resistance testing.
1.2
This practice is intended for soft armor for law enforcement applications, and its purpose is to subject test items to conditions intended to provide some indication of the test item ability to withstand conditions of heat, moisture, and mechanical wear (folding and abrasion) that might be encountered during wear.
1.2.1
This practice is not intended for soft armor to be used in military applications.
1.3
In this practice, “other standards and specifications” and “unless specified elsewhere” refer to documents that require the use of this practice. Purchasers and other users are responsible for the “other standards and specifications” and for specifying any requirements that supersede those of this practice.
1.4
Units—
The values stated in either SI units or inch-pound units are to be regarded separately as standard. The values stated in each system are not necessarily exact equivalents; therefore, to ensure conformance with the standard, each system shall be used independently of the other, and values from the two systems shall not be combined.
1.5
This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.
1.6
This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.
====== Significance And Use ======
4.1
U.S. Department of Justice standards for assessing the performance of ballistic-resistant torso body armor require conditioning of soft armor test items prior to ballistic testing.
4.2
This practice method may be applicable for certification testing or for research and development testing.
4.3
This practice has only been evaluated for ballistic-resistant body armor and has not been assessed for applicability to any other type of protective system.