- High-speed imaging shows impact in slow motion
- First series comprises as many as 14 episodes
SVI Engineering, leading specialist manufacturer of armoured products, has released the twelfth episode in its innovative Shoot Through series of videos, this time demonstrating just how tough an imported 6 mm armoured steel plate – which the firm uses in its B6 vehicle-protection packages – is when faced with AK47 fire
“In Episode 11, we saw how easily the AK47 punched through a 6 mm mild-steel plate. This time, we’re giving the conventional steel-core round a virtually impossible task – to take on a certified armoured steel plate of the same thickness,” said Nicol Louw, SVI Business Development Director.
So, SVI secured the imported 6 mm armoured steel plate at the far end of its dedicated underground shooting range before unleashing a round from an AK47 mounted in a test rig. As shown in the footage captured by a Photron Fastcam SA4 high-speed camera – generously supplied by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and set at 30 000 frames per second – the 7.62×39 mm conventional steel-core round fails to make even the slightest of dents.
“At SVI, we use only the world’s best-quality certified armoured steel, which we specially import from Sweden. With the plate’s Brinell hardness value as high as 500, the AK47 round didn’t stand a chance … other than to lightly damage the paint, that is,” quipped Jaco de Kock, CEO of SVI.
‘SHOOT THROUGH’ series background
Conceived to both inform and entertain, the full 14-episode Shoot Through video series – an episode is published on SVI’s YouTube channel approximately every two weeks – sets out to answer whether various (mostly standard) automotive components can stop a round discharged by a firearm.
The subject of the first episode in SVI’s Shoot Through series was a ventilated steel brake disc from a Toyota Land Cruiser 79 bakkie, while the second episode featured a Volkswagen Polo engine block, the third a shock absorber, the fourth a Polo cylinder head, the fifth a seatbelt mechanism, the sixth a window lifter motor, the seventh a Ford Everest owner’s manual, the eighth a car battery, the ninth three layers of Kevlar, the tenth a 3 mm mild-steel plate and the eleventh a 6 mm mild-steel plate.
The company
SVI is an original equipment manufacturer that has specialised in armoured vehicles since 2004. The company is a market leader in Africa, serving the private, corporate, security, mining and governmental segments. SVI holds a Level 2 B-BBEE certification and its quality management system is certified to ISO 9001:2015 by TÜV Rheinland.
Social media accounts
Facebook: SVI Engineering
Twitter: SVI_Engineering
Instagram: svi_engineering_armour
TikTok: svi_engineering
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