Composite Armor Structure

Abstract

A non-metallic armor structure having lightweight and being capable of withstanding multiple impacts without substantial degradation of the penetration resistance of the armor.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This utility patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61 / 081,075 filed Jul. 16, 2008, entitled “Composite Armor Structure,” the entire disclosure of the application being considered part of the disclosure of this application, and hereby incorporated by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates generally to armor used for preventing the penetration of structures by projectiles. More specifically, the invention relates to an improved armor including a fiber grid structure having composite tiles, such as composite ballistic resistance tiles retained in the grid with the grids forming a substantially polyhedron structure that both increases the resistance to penetration as well as increases the performance of each individual composite tile.[0003]Armor systems have traditionally been known to include thick metal as an outer skin to protect the structure or vehicle. Typi...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention is a composite armor that improves resistance to penetration of projectiles and reduces the weight of the armor structure compared to metal plate systems. It consists of a polyhedron structure made up of multiple cellular structures with composite inserts and a filler such as ballistic foam. The armor system can also include various composite laminates for additional protection. The technical effect of this invention is to provide effective armor against projectile penetration while reducing the weight of the armor structure."

Problems solved by technology

Newer types of armor piercing projectiles have decreased the efficiency of metal plates in preventing projectile penetration and metal armor systems are extremely heavy, which detracts from the performance and fuel economy of mobile vehicles.

The heavy weight of metal-plated armor causes many problems including limited vehicle speed, high fuel consumption, increased time for vehicle assembly, as well as detracting from the maneuverability and other operational capabilities of the vehicle.

To summarize, the weight of the layered metal plates causes serious reductions in performance capabilities of any vehicle to which the armor system is added.

For example, increased fuel consumption due to the heavy weight of the metal plates requires more frequent fill-ups and reduces the range of the armored vehicle.

In addition, increased fuel consumption creates other problems in a military environment, such as requiring more trips to the armored vehicles by fuel tanker trucks, which are typically not armored.

In addition, the additional weight of the vehicle from the armor, when used in a military environment may seriously reduce the operating performance and characteristics of the vehicle.

For example, certain vehicles when armored are incapable of traveling across some off-road terrains.

These systems are very expensive and generally do not provide the desired balance between weight, cost and effectiveness.

Upon impact by the projectile against the ceramic tiles, ceramic armor systems are known to experience failure of not only the impacted plate but also of the plates adjacent to the plate receiving the impact.

Therefore, it is critical but also difficult to manage the propagation of cracks from the plate receiving the impact to adjacent plates.

Ceramic tiles also typically lose structural integrity after an initial impact, making the armor system vulnerable to subsequent impacts.

As stated above, many ceramic systems provide excellent resistance to projectile penetration against the first impact but their effectiveness is typically substantially reduced for subsequent impacts.

While these multiple layered ceramic tiles provide additional protection, they also substantially increase the weight of the vehicle while yet experiencing propagation of cracks and debris created during impact.

The propagation of such cracks results from the tight engagement of the armor structure and therefore while multiple layers of ceramic tiles do provide additional protection, the armor system may after an initial impact be substantially weakened against subsequent impacts.

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