To properly protect personnel, the ceramic plate component in body armor must be free from cracks. Studies by the US Army and Britain" have shown that while cracked plates still can defeat a threat, their ballistic performance is degraded. The Non-Destructive Automated Inspection System (NDE-AIS) is a deployable, high speed, automated, digital radiographic inspection system that evaluates ceramic plate serviceability in the field. During the most recent assessment, digital x-rays of plates were examined by the NDE-AIS and the results were compared with three radiographer's assessments of the same plates. The results demonstrated that the NDE-AIS is 99.8 percent effective in keeping defective body armor plates from being reissued to Soldiers. Ceramic plates are inspected at an average rate of about 240 plates per hour in a process that automatically identifies and withdraws defective plates from service. Inspection results are maintained in a database along with CAGE codes (manufacturer), NSNs (make and size), lot numbers, serial numbers and dates of manufacturing information. This information can be use to help facilitate inventory, logistical activities and production analysis. The mission, design, and effectiveness of the inspection system arc discussed herein.
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