British Army Olive Green NBC Suit
Purpose It is intended that
the protective suit should be worn over normal clothing. The constituent
materials have, therefore, been selected to impose minimum physiological stress,
which is obviously a potential hazard in any closed system. In addition to
providing protection against toxic agents in both liquid and vapour form, the
suit is also self-decontaminating by encouraging rapid evaporation. Furthermore,
by virtue of its flame retardancy, it offers a high level of protection not only
against conventional fire, but also against the thermal pulse resulting from a
nuclear burst. Description The trousers are of pyjama type
with a gussetted front end with brace tapes sewn at the back, and loops at the
front to give over-the-shoulder braces which can be tied at the front. Waist and
the lower legs can be adjusted by touch-and-close fasteners. Bellows type
pockets are provided on each thigh, together with detector patches. Both smock
and trousers are designed with the outer and inner layers of fabric constructed
separately and only joined at the edges, thus reducing any possibility of
ingress through stitch holes. Materials The inner fabric is
based on activated charcoal as a means of protection against toxic gases and
vapours. It.s bonded to a non-woven fabric, which is flame retardant. A
fluorocarbon finish is applied as an oil repellent, thus acting as a further
barrier to toxic liquids. This combination of repellents represents a chemical
barrier which is highly efficient, yet air permeable and thus imposes low heat
stress. This liquid control system formed by a wicking layer over an
oil-repellent layer permits the incorporation of less charcoal than in other
systems, which in turn results in a fighter garment and smaller package size. Dimensions Weight
The NBC Protective Suit is
worn in conjunction with a respirator, gloves and overboots, and gives
protection against all known chemical warfare (CW) agents. The life of the suit
in operations depends on the level of attack. In most situations it can be worn
for up to a month and still offer protection to the wearer. Under extreme
conditions of multiple attack it may be necessary to change the suit after 24
hours.
A two-piece suit
consisting of a smock and trousers. The smock, which is single breasted, has a
front opening which can be closed with a slide fastener and also touch and close
tapes. It has an attached hood with an elasticated face opening, which gives a
good seal around the respirator. Touch and close strips are also provided at the
cuffs and hips to allow easy individual adjustment for size. Bellows type
pockets, with stitching penetrating only the outer layer of the main suit are
provided on each breast and on the right sleeve, and a patch pocket with
divisions for pens is fitted on the left upper sleeve.
The complete suit is
constructed from two layers.
The outer material is
made of monacrylic fibres reinforced with polyamide fibres. It has a strong,
hard-wearing outside surface. A silicone treatment is applied to make the
garments shower-proof, and to permit rapid spreading of liquid chemicals, which
in turn speeds up evaporation. This reduces the loading on the second layer,
whose main function is to act as chemical barrier.
When vacuum- and
pressure-packed, the two packages (smock and trousers) together measure
approximately: 310 x 160 x 140 mm (12.2 x 6.3 x 5.5in).
Weight of the suit (smock and
trousers) is 1.6Kg.
