Ballistic Armor Tile Edge Overlap Design

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing armor tile systems face issues such as crack propagation, high weight due to full thickness overlap, and vulnerability to displacement when hit, leading to costly replacements and gaps in protection.

Innovation Solution

The development of edge-to-edge overlapping tile systems with specific edge designs that allow flexibility, reduce crack propagation, and minimize weight, featuring symmetric and asymmetric edge profiles, curved edges, and frusto-pyramidal shapes to create close-fitting, flexible armor structures without gaps or full thickness overlap.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Area of stationary object

If large ceramic tiles are used to cover critical body areas, then protection coverage is improved, but crack propagation occurs across the entire tile when hit

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprotection coverage areaVSAvoidtile integrity after impact

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The armor system divides the protective coverage into multiple small polygonal tiles that fit together like a puzzle, rather than using a single large tile. This segmentation ensures that when one tile is hit, the damage is isolated to that single tile while surrounding tiles remain intact, eliminating the crack propagation problem inherent in large monolithic tiles.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If small polygonal tiles are arranged edge-to-edge, then crack propagation is reduced, but gaps appear between tiles

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedamage isolation capabilityVSAvoidcontinuous protection area

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a third dimensional element by adding overlapping flanges that extend beyond the tile faces. These flanges overlap with adjacent tiles to seal the gaps between them, transforming the two-dimensional edge-to-edge arrangement into a three-dimensional interlocking structure that eliminates gaps while preserving damage isolation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Area of stationary object

If tiles overlap with full thickness to eliminate gaps, then protection continuity is improved, but weight increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontinuous protection coverageVSAvoidarmor system weight

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the necessary overlapping portion (the flange) from the full tile thickness, rather than overlapping the entire tile. This allows gaps to be sealed while removing the excessive weight that would result from full-thickness overlap, achieving a lightweight yet continuous protective structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

4Area of stationary object

If numerous small tiles are overlapped to eliminate gaps, then protection continuity is improved, but tiles can be displaced when hit

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontinuous protection coverageVSAvoidtile position stability

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs asymmetric flange configurations where adjacent tiles have complementary but non-identical overlapping features. This asymmetric interlocking creates mechanical restraint that prevents tile displacement in multiple directions, while the overlapping structure maintains continuous protection coverage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #4Asymmetry

Data Source

PatentUS7793579B1Armor tile

Publication Date: 2010.09.14 LEE ROBERT G

AI summary

A ballistics armor system comprises plural tiles having overlapping edge portions.