Moving sacrificial vehicle hull

Abstract

The present invention is directed to new and improved armor protection that can replace the existing crew cabin with a field replaceable armored crew compartment to be attached to the existing body of an HMMWV military vehicle to protect the military personnel within from explosive blasts, roll-over or collisions. In accordance with the concepts of the present invention, in order to provide additional protection to personnel in the HMMWV crew compartment, a sacrificial V-shaped hull is designed to be attached onto the underside of the crew compartment over the HMMWV frame rails. In the event of an explosion underneath the HMMWV, the V-shaped hull will shield the personnel inside the cabin and absorb the force of the explosion.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 14 / 174,752 filed Feb. 6, 2014, which is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 12 / 778,951 filed May 10, 2010, which claims priority to provisional application Ser. No. 61 / 177,371, filed May 12, 2009. This application is also a continuation-in-in part of U.S. application Ser. No. 13 / 942,555 filed Jul. 15, 2013, which is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 12 / 778,951 filed May 10, 2010, which claims priority to provisional application Ser. No. 61 / 177,371, filed May 12, 2009. The above referenced applications are incorporated by referenced in their entirety for all purposes.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention generally relates to armoring of military vehicles. More specifically the present invention relates to armoring of military personnel transportation vehicles.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]The common vehicle currently selected by the military fo...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention is about improving armor protection for military personnel in the HMMWV military vehicle. The invention involves replacing the existing crew compartment with an armored one that can withstand the impact of explosive blasts, collisions, or roll-over. To provide this additional protection, a sacrificial V-shaped hull is attached underneath the crew compartment over the existing frame rails. The V-shaped hull covers an opening in the frame, shielding the personnel from the impact of any explosion underneath the vehicle. Additionally, the weight of the armor is reduced, lowering the center of gravity and reducing the risk of roll-over.

Problems solved by technology

The weak construction of the original body of the HMMWV has made the military conduct an extensive search for additional protection.

Thus the continued addition of heavy armor to an already weak body has made the task difficult.

Once the main cause of mortality shifted from ballistic threat to blast threat, this method of armoring became even more of a threat to combat troops.

The current method of attaching additional armor to the aluminum body of the HMMWV is weak at best.

The failure to have positive attachments between the heavy armor panels stresses the weak aluminum body, which allows the up-armored HMMWV to fold or collapse in a collision or blast.

The addition of such up-armor has increased the weight of the vehicle while raising its center of gravity increasing the chance of roll-over and greatly diminishing its mobility and handling.

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