Acceptable Liners III – Liner Testing Completed…

 Big Red here with the third and final installment on tests to determine liner acceptability.

So, TAKE FIVE!

Hey gang, I am glad to see that, just like PFC Murphy, you have volunteered to see the testing all the way through to the end.

Today we will discuss the final two tests of the seven main tests used by QMC inspectors to determine if a liner was acceptable: Weather Resistance and Ballistics Impact Resistance. So, no reason to “stall the ball,” as they say. Let’s get into it…

The QMC was aware that American soldiers would face deployments worldwide, ranging from harsh desert environments to those of freezing cold. They also knew that these extremes in temperature would expose even minor defects in plastic resin, which would otherwise have been deemed acceptable. While heat exposure could hide flexibility and deflection issues, it exposed deformation and delamination, whereas cold temperatures would expose brittleness through cracking and splintering.

Basically, the liner would not be able to survive the conditions of any of the previous tests after being exposed to ranges of extreme temperature unless its cure was complete and had been stopped upon completion.

Now, we will conduct the test that everyone, except PFC Murphy, has been waiting for—ballistics!

The Army never intended the liner to stop bullets or shrapnel, but they did want to make sure that liners would not splinter or shatter under impact in a way that the fragments could turn a headache into serious injury or even death. In short, the ballistics test showed whether a liner’s construction would shatter under impact in a way that would injure the wearer.

Did You Know:__________________________________________________________________________

Ballistics testing revealed the tendency for St. Clair liners to shatter dangerously when impacted. This was the main reason the QMC chose to limit production of this liner to the minimum necessary to meet demand until high-pressure liners were available in sufficient quantity.

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By the close of the war, liner durability tests had remained relatively unaltered. Most additions consisted of details regarding improvements or clarifications, the result of experience gained, to be applied to the measurements of acceptance. It is fascinating to note that the revised specifications given to liner inspectors hired in August of 1943 were relatively the same as those provided to inspectors in early 1942. Outside of changes to accommodate materials used in webbing, hardware, or leather parts, the only noteworthy major change occurred in October of 1943, when the delousing process replaced a thirty-minute exposure to live steam with an hour-long exposure to methylbromide vapor in a closed chamber.

In conclusion, I feel compelled to highlight a relatively small detail that, well… um, is really… Uh, not worth mentioning at all, but, uh… well, y’all are astute military collectors who have a firm grasp on how things often happen in the military (urgh… best to just say it).

Would you really be surprised to discover that liner testing didn't guarantee the manufacture of quality liners because the need for liners was so great that entire production lots had already been shipped and issued before the ones pulled from those same lots for quality testing actually got tested?

 – Yeah, I didn’t think so; no surprise here either.

Anyway, I sincerely hope you’ve enjoyed our exploration of liner testing and that, through the use of a little humor, we were able to shed some light on a somewhat bland topic.

PS,

J. Murray Inc. has asked me to emphasize the fact that no PFCs were actually harmed during these demonstrations. We here at "Big Red Say's" cherish our privates!

Remember,

If your friends want to know how you gained your intel, tell em

Big Red Says!

FIVE'S OVER  -  MOVE OUT!

BRB-024