Skip to main content    

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

**Official websites use .gov**              A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.            

**Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**              A **lock** (  LockA locked padlock) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.            

https://www.nist.gov/laboratories/tools-instruments/reference-ballistic-chronograph

            -  Topics  -  All Topics 
-  Advanced communications 
-  Artificial intelligence 
-  Bioscience 
-  Buildings and construction 
-  Chemistry 
-  Climate 
-  Cybersecurity 
-  Electronics 
-  Energy 
-  Environment 
-  Fire 
-  Forensic science 
-  Health 
-  Information technology 
-  Infrastructure 
-  Manufacturing 
-  Materials 
-  Mathematics and statistics 
-  Metrology 
-  Nanotechnology 
-  Neutron research 
-  Performance excellence 
-  Physics 
-  Public safety 
-  Resilience 
-  Standards 
-  Transportation 
 
            -  Publications 
            -  Labs & Major Programs  -  Laboratories    -  Communications Technology Laboratory 
  -  Engineering Laboratory 
  -  Information Technology Laboratory 
  -  Material Measurement Laboratory 
  -  Physical Measurement Laboratory 
-  User Facilities    -  NIST Center for Neutron Research 
  -  CNST NanoFab 
-  Research Test Beds 
-  Research Projects 
-  Tools & Instruments 
-  Major Programs    -  Baldrige Performance Excellence Program 
  -  CHIPS for America Initiative 
  -  Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) 
  -  Office of Advanced Manufacturing 
  -  Special Programs Office 
  -  Technology Partnerships Office 
 
            -  Services & Resources  -  Standards and Measurements    -  Calibration Services 
  -  Laboratory Accreditation (NVLAP) 
  -  Quality System 
  -  Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) 
  -  Standards.gov 
  -  Time Services 
  -  Office of Weights and Measures 
-  Software 
-  Data    -  Chemistry WebBook 
  -  National Vulnerability Database 
  -  Physical Reference Data 
  -  Standard Reference Data (SRD) 
-  Storefront 
-  License & Patents 
-  Computer Security Resource Center (CSRC) 
-  NIST Research Library 
 
            -  News & Events  -  News 
-  Events 
-  Blogs 
-  Feature Stories 
-  Awards 
-  Video Gallery 
-  Image Gallery 
-  Media Contacts 
 
            -  About NIST  -  About Us    -  Leadership 
  -  Organization Structure 
  -  Budget & Planning 
-  Contact Us 
-  Visit 
-  Careers    -  Student programs 
-  Work with NIST 
-  History    -  NIST Digital Archives 
  -  NIST Museum 
  -  NIST and the Nobel 
-  Educational Resources 
 

TOOLS & INSTRUMENTS

# Reference Ballistic Chronograph

The NIST-developed reference ballistic chronograph (RBC) provides repeatable measurements of the speed of a bullet that will impact a test article, such as personal body armor.  For body armor, the measurement of speed is important because it is the basis upon which armor is certified to protect against threats.  The chronograph measurement system is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1.

The critical component is the “head” shown in Fig. 1, which comprises three measurement lines created using a laser beam.  As the bullet crosses these lines, it blocks the laser beam to provide a rectangular optical pulse that is captured electronically and stored on an oscilloscope.  A figure of the head is shown in Fig. 2 and the captured pulses, one per laser beam, is shown in Fig. 3.

## Specifications/Capabilities

The RBC provides an expanded speed measurement uncertainty of less than 0.1 % of bullet speed with a 95 % confidence interval.  This measurement uncertainty is about an order of magnitude better than the speed measurement errors claimed for commercially-available chronographs.

Uncertainty quantificationLaw enforcementReference instruments

## Organizations

                          - NIST Headquarters
                            - Laboratory Programs
                              - Material Measurement Laboratory
                                - Materials Measurement Science Division
                                  - Security Technologies Group

## Details

## Contact

                    -  Nicholas G. Paulter Jr.  nicholas.paulter@nist.gov      (301) 975-2405   

## Related Projects

Materials and Systems for Protection Against Penetrating and Blunt Force Phenomena

## Related Publications

Reference Ballistic Chronograph

Reference Ballistic Chronograph for Personal Armor Characterization

### HEADQUARTERS

301-975-2000

Webmaster | Contact Us | Our Other Offices

TwitterFacebookLinkedInInstagramYouTubeGiphyRSS FeedMailing List

Feedback

                      -  Site Privacy 
                      -  Accessibility 
                      -  Privacy Program 
                      -  Copyrights 
                      -  Vulnerability Disclosure 
                      -  No Fear Act Policy 
                      -  FOIA 
                      -  Environmental Policy 
                      -  Scientific Integrity 
                      -  Information Quality Standards 
                      -  Commerce.gov 
                      -  Science.gov 
                      -  USA.gov 
                      -  Vote.gov