Measuring Slash Resistance
HOSDB Slash Resistant Standard for the UK Police(2006) defines the test for UK Police protective clothing slash resistance which is more stringent than the BS EN 388. The test equipment consists of a guided-drop assembly, a force table and a slash missile. The slash missile has a mass of 2.0 ± 0.1 kg and houses the test blade. The missile is guided by the guide rails to drop under the influence of gravity. The blade contacts the force table at 2° from the vertical. A guided drop assembly holds the slash missile which is a Stanley® blade (Model 1992) held at an angle of 30± 1° The construction of the specimen must conform precisely to the description specified in the declaration.
Sark achieved full compliance with this test and was awarded a conformity certificate in 2009.
BS EN 388:2003
The cut resistance is measured as a grade of performance level (levels 1 to 5). Specimens are cut by a counter rotating blade, that moves in an alternating motion under a specified load. Cut level is measured as a number of cycles to cut through the material. Performance Level 4 & Performance Level 5 are the highest performance rated products on the market. A circular blade is used to cut the material with a fixed load of 5 Newtons. Sample size is a strip of (60 ± 6) mm in width and (100 ± 10) mm in length.
Sark achieved full Level 5 compliance in 2010.
BS EN ISO 13997:1997
Specimens are cut by a sharp blade that is drawn across the specimen. The cut resistance is measured in Newtons. Cut resistance is measured as the force required to cut through the material during a 20 mm cutting stroke. Level 1 is a cutting load ≥ 13 N and Level 2 is a cutting load ≥ 22 N. A sharp knife edge blade is used to cut the specimen during testing with a variable Newton load. Sample size is 25 mm in width and 100 mm in length (25 × 25 mm specimen can be used for a single cut test).