Armored Vehicle Cab Wedge Interfaces Blast Load Redirection
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Solution Overview
Problem
The hinges of armored vehicle passenger and driver access doors are vulnerable to high energy loads during blast events, leading to potential failure and exposure risks due to the inertia of the up-armored doors resisting motion, which can cause the door to disengage from the opening.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of wedge-to-wedge interfaces between the cab doors and side walls, approximately 90 degrees out of sync, provides fore/aft and vertical buffering of blast forces, redirecting the load from the hinges to the door and body panel, thereby maintaining structural integrity by creating alternative load paths during a blast event.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the door is up-armored to provide protection, then the protective capability is improved, but the weight of the door increases, causing higher loads on the hinges during blast events
Solution Approach 1:
The door system is segmented into multiple functional components: the armored door panel, hinge assembly, latch mechanism, and wedge support structures. This segmentation allows the heavy armored panel to be supported by distributed structures rather than concentrating all loads on the hinges, resolving the contradiction between protection and hinge load.
Solution Approach 2:
Wedge support structures are introduced as intermediary elements between the door and the vehicle body. These wedges transfer and distribute the loads generated by the heavy armored door during blast events, preventing direct transmission of full door weight and inertial forces to the hinges, thus protecting the hinge system while maintaining door protection.
2Reliability
If the hinges are bolstered to handle higher loads, then the reliability during blast events is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than making the hinges themselves more complex and robust to handle all loads, wedge support structures are introduced as intermediary elements. These wedges absorb and redistribute the high-energy loads during blast events, allowing the use of simpler, less complex hinge designs while maintaining reliability during extreme conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The load path is extended from a simple hinge connection to a three-dimensional load distribution system involving wedges, mounting brackets, and the vehicle body structure. This dimensional expansion of the support system allows loads to be distributed across multiple structural elements rather than concentrated in the hinges, reducing hinge complexity requirements.
3Reliability
If the door is securely attached to prevent opening, then the security against enemy fire is improved, but the door becomes more vulnerable to hinge failure during blast events
Solution Approach 1:
Wedge support structures serve as intermediary load-bearing elements between the securely attached door and the hinge system. During blast events, these wedges intercept and redirect the high-energy forces that would otherwise be transmitted to the hinges, maintaining door security while protecting hinges from vulnerable high-load conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The wedge support structures are pre-positioned and pre-engineered to provide cushioning and load redistribution before blast events occur. This beforehand preparation ensures that when blast forces are applied, the hinges are already protected by the load-redistributing wedge system, preventing hinge failure while maintaining door security.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution effectively reduces the force applied to the hinges, enhancing the blast protection of the armored vehicle cab by distributing the load through the door and body panel, thereby preventing hinge failure and maintaining occupant safety at higher blast levels.
Implementation Method 1
The interaction of these wedges provides an alternative load path between the door and the door opening during a blast event. This results in load transfer through the door and body panel rather than the hinges.
Implementation Method 2
During a blast event from a mine or an IED, the armored door's inertia resists motion as the blast impact rapidly accelerates the rest of the vehicle upward.
Data Source
AI summary
An armored vehicle cab with enhanced blast protection accomplished with wedge to wedge interfaces between the cab doors and the cab side walls that are approximately 90 degrees out of synch with each other to provide both fore/aft and vertical buffering of blast force applied to the cab floor in order to shift energy from cab door hinges to the wedges (and the structures to which they are mounted) which are in contact with each other. These enhancements will maintain door functionality post blast event (door will open and close).