If you need a machine to perform book bend stress on your security documents, ARSENAL has the solution!

Today it is more and more important that e-documents such us ePassport offer a long life span additionally to the high security features. But nethertheless does such MRP ( Machine Readable Passport ) sustain the extensive day by day use over a lifetime of 10 years?

Thereofore it is necessary that each production passes the rigorous durability requirements defined in ISO/IEC 18745–1 (Physical test methods for passport books (durability)) or former known from ICAO Document 9303.

One of the most important test sequences to verify the overall quality of your MRP is the so called Book Pend Stress or Backpocket test.

Approx. 30% of all MRP holders keep their epassports in the back pocket of their trousers during the journey. And with this test we simulate the stress the MRP is exposed to , when its holder sits down, with the MRP in the back pocket.

For testing we need an anvil with a sperical diameter of 150mm, which should act as the bottom and a cushion of foam, where the MRP can be bended. The MRP body is pressed against a foam having a density of 30-50 kg/m3 and a hardness of 150N to 265N. The dimensions of this foam are also defined by the standard and must not fall below 100mm for the thickness, and 200mm in any other direction.

[refer to Durability of Machine Readable Passports Version: 3.2 for the picture]

Now we place the MRP under test with the front cover on the top in a flexibel support pocket (in our case a denim back pocket) and perform the test with a maximum force of 350N, which should be maintend for 5s. The method should be repeated with the cycles N mentioned in the testplan (ISO18745-1:2018 N=100) and with the other side of the MRP.

After 100 cycles we check the functionality of the MRP , if the antenna is still working and evaluate the book warpage , but that’s a different story to tell.