4.1 U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Department of Justice standards for assessing the performance of ballistic-resistant torso body armor require the use of backing assemblies made with Roma Plastilina No. 1^®. The creation of appliques behind nonplanar soft armor test items must be done in a consistent manner to reduce variability within and between laboratories.

4.2 This practice is applicable for certification testing or for research and development testing.

1.1 This practice specifies a procedure for creating appliques (that is, build-up of clay) for use behind nonplanar, soft body armor test items and affixing the appliques to the clay block.

Note 1: This practice describes a single applique shape; additional shapes may be described in other standards.

1.2 The purpose of this practice is to specify critical parameters for creating appliques in order to improve consistency of the test setup between laboratories.

Note 2: In the past, testing of nonplanar soft armor has been done either with an unspecified buildup of clay behind the test item or with the test item pressed flat against the clay block.

1.3 This practice is applicable only to nonplanar soft body armor designed for females.

1.4 This practice is not applicable to hard armor test items.

1.5 This practice is primarily directed toward test laboratories but may be applicable to body armor manufacturers, researchers, and end users performing ballistic-resistance testing of body armor.

1.6 In this practice, “other standards and specifications” and “unless specified elsewhere” refer to documents (for example, military standards, purchase specifications) 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.

1.7 Units—The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. Where appropriate, inch-pound units are included parenthetically for information purposes.

1.8 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 and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.