Performance of Safety Nets Under Low Velocity Impact

Barry and UNB Ballistics and Mechanical Test Lab conducted testing using a large bore foreign object debris (FOD) gun to shoot a red brick projectile in order to test various configurations of Barry safety nets under different scenarios.

The testing velocity was in the range of approximately 40 m/s (144 km/hr) and enabled the following conclusions to be reached:

• Correctly designed nets may be effective in restraining projectiles.
• The nets tested in this study that were restrained with sacrificial cable ties were able to restrain the brick projectiles up to a velocity of 41.7 m/s without projectile pass through.
• Rebound of projectiles may be of significant energy to present a hazard. This rebound hazard was observed to be present in moderate velocity tests that did not cause significant damage to the nets.
• High enough impact energy and velocity will cause rapid failure of the nets and result in pass through of the projectile with little reduction in velocity and energy.
• Light duty netting may be employed effectively in concert with heavy duty net to restrain projectiles from passing through the net or from rebounding from the net.

Further validation of safety nets under different impact conditions, including impact velocity, impactor configuration, impact angle, and overall net geometry and materials, should be done to fully generalize these conclusions.

Barry uses a methodological and scientific approach to design, test, and validate its safety nets used in critical applications. Contact the Barry Team if you require additional information regarding our safety netting products and design and testing services.

Link to the full PDF document: Performance of Safety Netting Under Low Velocity Impact Loading