Aircraft Panel Ballistic Edge Protection via Stab-in Armor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current aircraft panel edge protection is heavy, expensive, and requires ballistic resistant mechanical fasteners, which increase weight and cost, and compromise the panel's integrity at the edges due to insufficient material cradling of ballistic threats.
Innovation Solution
A panel assembly with a sandwich structure including inside and outside core layers and an armor layer, where the armor member is 'stabbed-in' into the panel edge, eliminating the need for external fasteners and reducing weight and cost by using UHMWPE or para-aramid armor internally bonded within the panel, creating a channel to cradle bullets effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If metal armor plate is added over the edge to mitigate ballistic threat, then ballistic protection is improved, but weight and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from metal armor plate to UHMWPE or para-aramid ballistic resistant material, achieving comparable ballistic protection while significantly reducing weight. This material substitution resolves the contradiction by maintaining reliability (ballistic protection) while reducing the worsening feature (weight).
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite armor construction by bonding ballistic resistant material (UHMWPE or para-aramid) to the panel edge, creating a composite structure that combines the strength of the base panel with the ballistic resistance of the specialized material, achieving protection without the weight penalty of solid metal plates.
2Reliability
If metal armor plate is added over the edge to mitigate ballistic threat, then ballistic protection is improved, but cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from expensive metal armor plate to more cost-effective UHMWPE or para-aramid materials, achieving comparable ballistic protection while reducing material costs and overall production expenses.
3Reliability
If ballistic resistant mechanical fasteners are used to attach armor, then armor attachment is achieved, but panel integrity is compromised due to holes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates mechanical fasteners entirely from the attachment system, extracting the fastening function and replacing it with adhesive bonding. This removes the source of panel integrity compromise (holes from fasteners) while maintaining secure armor attachment through the bonding interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical fastening system with a chemical bonding system (adhesive), substituting mechanical attachment that creates structural weaknesses with a distributed bonding approach that maintains panel integrity while achieving secure armor attachment.
4Reliability
If edge protection fortification is added to address ballistic limitations, then ballistic protection is improved, but panel thickness increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies ballistic resistant material specifically to the edge region where ballistic threats are most vulnerable, rather than uniformly thickening the entire panel. This localized fortification provides necessary protection at the critical edge zone while maintaining the overall panel thickness within design constraints.
Data Source
AI summary
A panel assembly that includes inside and outside core layers, an armor layer sandwiched between the inside and outside core layers, and an armor member that includes at least an outside portion and a transverse portion. The outside core layer includes a cut out portion defined therein. The armor layer has opposing first and second major surfaces. The outside portion of the armor member is positioned in the cut out portion of the outside core layer and the outer surface of the transverse portion is generally perpendicular to the first and second major surfaces of the armor layer.