Test Objects for the Accurate and Reproducible Evaluation of the Threat Detection Performance of Walk-Through Metal Detectors

Published

April 3, 2020

Author(s)

John Ely, Dwight D. Barry

Abstract

Walk-through metal detectors (WTMDs) are the mainstay for screening people for the presence of metal threat and/or contraband objects at security checkpoints. Although nonmetallic threats are a concern, most threats encountered in practice are metal or comprise metal components. To ensure that a WTMD will detect a given threat requires testing for that threat. However, the variety of geometries and construction of metal threats that a WTMD is expected to detect is immense, ranging from handguns to disposable razor blades and constructed of ferromagnetic and/or nonferromagnetic metals. It is unrealistic to test for all of these potential threat items. Instead, the WTMD is tested using test objects that represent classes of threats. These representative test objects must be designed so that the operator of the WTMD has confidence that the WTMD will detect the actual threat objects. The purpose of this paper is to examine the usefulness of currently-used WTMD test objects to accurately and reproducibly provide an indication of WTMD detection performance and to suggest new designs as appropriate.

Citation

ASTM Journal of Testing and Evaluation

Volume

49

Issue

5

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1520/JTE20190876

Local Download

Keywords

baseline performance, detectability, documentary standard, exemplars, test objects, threat objects, walk-through metal detector, WTMD

Citation

Ely, J. and Barry, D. (2020), Test Objects for the Accurate and Reproducible Evaluation of the Threat Detection Performance of Walk-Through Metal Detectors, ASTM Journal of Testing and Evaluation, [online], https://doi.org/10.1520/JTE20190876, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=925528 (Accessed November 17, 2025)