Buckle Up! It’s time to see how a seatbelt handles AK47 fire
SVI Engineering, leading specialist manufacturer of armoured products, has released the fifth episode in its innovative Shoot Through series of videos, this time scrutinising the effect of an AK47 round on a seatbelt mechanism (watch Episode 5 here).
“Despite tracing its origins all the way back to the mid-19th century, the humble seatbelt – when properly worn – remains one of the most effective automotive safety devices. But how will it stand up to AK47 fire? There’s only one way to find out,”
said Nicol Louw, SVI Business Development Director.
As shown in the footage captured by a Photron Fastcam SA4 high-speed camera – graciously supplied by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and set at 30 000 frames per second – the 7.62x39 mm conventional steel-core round runs straight through the seatbelt retractor mechanism, before passing through a single layer of the webbing itself, sending fibres and other debris flying.
“The slow-motion footage of the round striking the seatbelt mechanism makes for particularly dramatic viewing but is also a stark reminder of the penetrating power delivered by assault rifles. However, since we use only the highest-quality armouring materials, our 360-degree B6 packages are more than up to the task,”
said Jaco de Kock, CEO of SVI.
‘SHOOT THROUGH’ SERIES BACKGROUND
Conceived to both inform and entertain, the full Shoot Through video series – an episode will be 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 (watch it here), while the second episode featured a Volkswagen Polo engine block (watch it here), the third a shock absorber (watch it here) and the fourth a Polo cylinder head (watch it here).
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.
