CABIN OF AN ARMORED VEHICLE

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a cabin of an armored vehicle according to the features in the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] Structurally reinforced vehicle side panels, assembled from several individual components, are known from the prior art. In the front door area, for example, the vehicle side panel consists of the A-pillar with a sill connection. The B-pillar and the sill are separate components. The individual components are sometimes manufactured and tempered using a hot forming process and may have to meet different material thicknesses and strength requirements. After the individual parts are manufactured, they are joined to form a vehicle side panel by spot welding or bonding. Stress concentrations can occur at the joints. Material overlaps are necessary for a welded connection. However, this has a negative impact on achieving a low overall vehicle weight.

[0003] Furthermore, vehicle armor systems are known from the prior art in which the passenger compartment and, if applicable, a luggage compartment or engine compartment are ballistically protected against the effects of combat ordnance. To install the vehicle armor, armor plates are generally integrated into the original vehicle body. For example, a door is armored by installing bulletproof safety glass and inserting an armored steel plate into the sheet metal area of ​​the door side panel of the original vehicle door.

[0004] A disadvantage of this method of manufacturing vehicle armor is that ballistic protection is provided solely by the armored steel plates and bulletproof glass. Various door structural components, such as the outer door skin, the door frame, and even the window frames, typically remain in their original factory condition and offer no armor protection. A vehicle door already weighs between 20 and 150 kg, a weight further increased by the armor plating.

[0005] In another known embodiment, vehicle body exteriors are covered with or replaced by armor steel plates. These vehicles are particularly distinctive from the outside due to their angular exterior contours. Furthermore, the externally applied armor contributes to a more robust appearance.

[0006] For example, the manufacture of a motor vehicle side wall is known from DE 10 2010 009 183 B4. According to paragraph

[0036] therein, a seal is integrated between a motor vehicle door and the side wall.

[0007] GB 2 391 591 B also discloses a possibility of arranging a seal in the area of ​​a door in an armored motor vehicle body.

[0008] Furthermore, a cross-section for the production of a seal between the door and side wall of an armored vehicle is known from US patent 2008 / 314236 A1.

[0009] The object of the present invention is to improve transition areas known from the prior art between a wall and a lid with regard to their resistance to ballistic and explosive attacks.

[0010] The aforementioned problem is solved according to the invention with a cabin of an armored vehicle having the features in claim 1.

[0011] Advantageous embodiments of the present invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0012] The present invention relates to a cabin of an armored vehicle, in particular a cabin or vehicle body of an armored vehicle. The cabin has openings which are closed with an openable cover. These openings are, for example, door openings. In this case, the cover is accordingly a door that closes this opening. Thus, in particular, a wall of the cabin is formed. The wall can then be part of a vehicle body, or the cabin can be assembled from several walls. The cover can accordingly be a vehicle door or a trunk lid. The wall and the cover are made of steel, in particular hardenable steel.

[0013] According to the invention, the cover is designed to have a larger surface area than the opening itself. This is achieved by the cover overlapping the opening at its edges when closed. Furthermore, the invention provides for an opening collar that extends around the edge of the opening and faces outwards, relative to the interior of the cabin. Additionally, the invention provides for a cover collar that extends around the outside of the cover and faces inwards, relative to the interior of the cabin. Due to the overlapping edges of the cover when closed, the opening collar and the cover collar interlock. However, a gap is formed between the opening collar and the cover collar when closed. In particular, this creates an undercut in the cross-section when the cover is closed.

[0014] This capability provides basic ballistic and explosive protection.

[0015] The respective collars, namely the lid collar and the opening collar, are preferably manufactured in one piece and of the same material as the lid or the wall. This manufacturing process is a press forming. According to the invention, the

[0016] Hot forming and press hardening technology is employed. In particular, wall thicknesses between 1 mm and 10 mm are processed. Preferred wall thicknesses should be between 2 mm and 7 mm. For example, a press-hardenable steel of grade 22MnB5 or another hardenable armor steel is used.

[0017] To prevent any projectile fragments that may be present from penetrating the gap between the lid collar and the opening collar, and thus entering the interior of the cabins, a seal is preferably arranged between the two collars. The seal is coupled to the lid or the wall, in particular by a positive fit. The seal itself is preferably made of an elastomeric material.

[0018] To prevent the seal itself from being penetrated by hard projectile fragments or similar objects, a strip, in particular a metallic profile, is arranged at the distance between the two collars, extending vertically or transversely between the wall and the cover. This profile can be I-shaped, L-shaped, or T-shaped in cross-section and is coupled to the wall or the cover, particularly by joining, especially by a material-fit connection. The seal is then positively coupled to the profile.

[0019] To ensure that the collars undercut when closed, they have a curved cross-section. It is also conceivable that the collars have an angled cross-section. The curved or angled portion then runs in the opposite direction, thus creating the undercut.

[0020] Further advantages, features, properties, and aspects of the present invention are the subject of the following description. Preferred embodiments are illustrated in schematic figures. These serve to facilitate understanding of the invention. They show: Figure 1 shows a side wall with two doors known from the prior art, Figure 2 shows a cross-section through a cabin of a motor vehicle with lids according to the invention, Figures 3, 4 and 5 show cross-sectional views through a transition from wall to lid, Figure 6 shows a side view of a wall of the cabin with lid according to the invention and Figure 7 shows an alternative embodiment to the Figures 3 to 5 .

[0021] In the figures, the same reference symbols are used for identical or similar components, even if a repeated description is omitted for the sake of simplicity.

[0022] Figure 1Figure 1 shows a wall 1, or side wall, of an armored vehicle (not shown in detail), known from the prior art. This wall 1 also has doors 2, which cover respective openings 4 in the wall 1.

[0023] In Figure 2 A cabin 3 is now shown in cross-section. This cabin 3 has an opening 4 on both the left and right sides of the image plane, each opening being closed by a cover 5. The cover 5 is movable. For example, it could be a door 2, which is connected to the body or wall 1 by hinges and a lock, and can thus be opened and closed by a pivoting motion. A wall 1 is therefore arranged on both the left and right sides of the cabin 3. Furthermore, a roof 16 and a floor 17 are formed. The opening, which is to be closed by a cover, could also be a hatch in the roof 16.

[0024] According to the invention, a circumferential opening collar 7 or opening flange, oriented outwards with respect to an interior space 6 of the cabin 3, is now provided at the opening 4. The cover 5 has a cover collar 8 or cover flange, oriented inwards with respect to the interior space 6 of the cabin 3. The cover 5 itself has a larger surface area. This is illustrated again in Figure 6 Figure 1 shows a side view of wall 1 of cabin 3. The dashed line represents the opening 4 located behind the cover 5. The cover 5 completely covers this opening. The opening collar 7 extends around the entire opening 4. The cover collar 8 also extends around the entire cover 5.

[0025] The inventive approach is now derived from the Figures 3 to 5As can be seen, wall 1 is shown with a curved opening collar 7. Relative to an interior space 6, the opening collar 7 is curved and projecting outwards. Furthermore, the cover 5 has a cover collar 8 that is oriented inwards relative to the interior space 6. The cover collar 8 is also curved in cross-section. The curvature of the opening collar 7 and the cover collar 8 are oriented in opposite directions. This results in an undercut 9.

[0026] However, a space 10 is formed between the two collars 7, 8. A seal 11 is arranged in this space and is positively fitted onto a profile 12. The profile 12 extends in its cross-section essentially transversely or vertically through the space 10, and thus also transversely or vertically to the wall 1. The profile 12 is coupled to the wall 1 via a joint 13. The profile 12 is according to Figure 3I-shaped. However, it can be according to Figure 4 also L-shaped or according to Figure 5 The cross-section must be T-shaped. Wall 1 itself has a wall thickness of 14, which varies between 1 mm and 10 mm. Cover 5, in turn, has a wall thickness of 15, which is the same as the wall thickness of 14 of wall 1, but may also differ from it.

[0027] Figure 7 This shows an alternative design variant. Here too, a lid collar 8 and an opening collar 7 are formed on the wall 1 and the lid 5. However, these do not run as in the Figures 3 to 5 not curved in their cross-section, but angled.

[0028] In all variants, the collars 7, 8 are manufactured in one piece and of the same material as the wall 1 and the cover 5 during the forming process. According to the invention, this is achieved by hot forming and press hardening. Reference symbol:

[0029] 1 - Wall / Side wall 2 - Door 3 - Cabin 4 - Opening 5 - Lid 6 - Interior 7 - Opening collar 8 - Lid collar 9 - Undercut 10 - Space 11 - Seal 12 - Profile 13 - Joint seam 14 - Wall thickness to 1 15 - Wall thickness to 5 16 - Roof 17 - Floor

Claims

1. Cabin (3) of an armoured vehicle, in particular an armoured motor vehicle, wherein the cabin (3) has at least one opening (4) which is closed by an openable cover (5), wherein a wall (1) of the cabin (3) and the cover (5) are made of a steel material and the cover (5) is designed to be larger in area than the opening (4), in such a way that the cover (5) overlaps the opening (4) at the periphery and that at one edge of the opening (4) a circumferential opening collar (7) is formed which is oriented outwards with respect to an interior (6) of the cabin (3), and that an externally circumferential, inwardly oriented cover collar (8) is formed on the cover (5), in such a way that when the cover (5) is closed, the opening collar (7) and the cover collar (8) form an undercut (9) in cross-section, characterised in that the wall (1) and / or the cover (5) is manufactured by hot forming and press hardening.

2. Cabin (3) according to claim 1, characterised in that the wall (1) is the side wall of a motor vehicle and the cover (5) is a door (2) of the motor vehicle.

3. Cabin (3) according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the cover collar (8) is manufactured integrally and from the same material as the cover (5) and / or in that the opening collar (7) is manufactured integrally and from the same material as the wall (1).

4. Cabin (3) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that a seal (11) is arranged between the cover (5) and the wall (1).

5. Cabin (3) according to claim 4, characterised in that the seal (11) is positively coupled with the cover (5) or with the wall (1).

6. Cabin (3) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that a metallic profile (12) is coupled to the wall (1) or the cover (5), preferably the metallic profile (12) is welded to the cover (5) or the wall (1).

7. Cabin (3) according to claim 6, characterised in that the seal (11) is positively coupled with the metallic profile (12).

8. Cabin (3) according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the cover collar (8) and / or the opening collar (7) have a curved or bent course in cross-section.

9. Cabin (3) according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that the cover collar (8) and / or the opening collar (7) have an angled course in cross-section.