Initial Validation of Ballistic Shock Accelerometers

A Test Operations Procedure (TOP) describing methods and instrumentation used in the initial validation of accelerometers to be used in both Ballistic Shock testing and crew/vehicle survivability Live Fire Test and Evaluation (LFT&E).

Army Test and Evaluation Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland

Method 522.2 of MIL-STD-810G CN1 defines ballistic shock as “a high-level shock that generally results from the impact of projectiles or ordnance on armored combat vehicles”. Typical engagements of interest also include Kinetic Energy projectiles, land mines, and improvised explosive devices. For the purposes of this TOP, ballistic shock is generally referred to as the sudden highrate loading resulting from under body blast (UBB) testing designed to assess the crew-survivability of military vehicles. Historical testing conducted in both areas have proven the relative similarities between the two environments.

Live-fire and other ground tests conducted with modern instrumentation have proven that the damage potential of ballistic shock is not only to the test item, but also to the instrumentation used to quantify the severity of the event. One of the primary interests of ballistic shock studies is to ensure that armored vehicles and their occupants survive the encounter while retaining their mission capabilities. To help assess this, the instrumentation used to quantify the survivability of the event must itself survive the test and provide accurate data.