Armored Vehicle Cooling Air Inlet Integration

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing engine cooling systems for armored vehicles require powerful and expensive fans to overcome the resistance of ballistic gratings, leading to increased weight and cost, while still needing to maintain adequate cooling and protection.

Innovation Solution

The cooling air inlets are integrated above the vehicle's trough roof, between additional protective plates, eliminating the need for gratings, and the cooling air outlets are protected without ballistic protection, using a simpler fan setup with a coolant cooler integrated in the airflow, and additional protection is provided within the vehicle.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If ballistic gratings are used in cooling air intake and exhaust areas, then ballistic protection is improved, but fan power requirements and flow resistance increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveballistic protectionVSAvoidfan power
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSPower

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts the ballistic protection function from the cooling air intake path by positioning the cooling air inlet above the tub roof in the space between raised protective plates, eliminating the need for ballistic gratings in the cooling airflow path while maintaining protection through the collar structure

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The circumferential collar acts as an intermediary structure that provides ballistic protection for the vehicle and cooling air inlet simultaneously, mediating between the protective plates and the cooling system to eliminate the need for additional gratings

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If ballistic gratings are used in cooling air intake and exhaust areas, then ballistic protection is improved, but system weight and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveballistic protectionVSAvoidsystem weight
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The invention removes the ballistic grating components from the cooling air intake and exhaust areas, extracting the protection function to the collar structure instead, thereby reducing system weight while maintaining adequate protection

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The circumferential collar serves multiple functions: it provides ballistic protection for the vehicle, covers and protects the cooling air inlet, and eliminates the need for separate grating structures, achieving multi-functionality that reduces overall system weight

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Reliability

If ballistic gratings are used in cooling air intake and exhaust areas, then ballistic protection is improved, but device complexity and expense increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveballistic protectionVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts the ballistic protection requirement from the cooling air intake path by positioning the inlet above the tub roof between protective plates, eliminating complex grating structures and associated mounting systems

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The circumferential collar provides multiple functions including ballistic protection, cooling air inlet coverage, and structural support, eliminating the need for separate grating components and reducing overall device complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

4Power

If cooling air inlet is positioned above tub roof between protective plates, then fan power requirements are reduced, but protection coverage must be maintained

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefan powerVSAvoidballistic protection
Core Design Contradiction:
PowerVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The circumferential collar acts as an intermediary that provides ballistic protection while allowing the cooling air inlet to be positioned in the optimized location above the tub roof, mediating between protection requirements and cooling performance

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The collar structure provides both ballistic protection and serves as the cover for the cooling air inlet, achieving multi-functionality that simultaneously satisfies protection requirements and enables optimized cooling air intake positioning

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

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 configuration achieves optimal protection with minimal weight and low costs, maximizing cooling capacity while minimizing drive power and flow resistance, reducing the need for powerful fans and gratings.

Implementation Method 1

a coolant cooler (11, 12) which is integrated into the cooling airflow

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeat transfer: Conduction (thermal)

Implementation Method 2

A simple axial or radial fan with sufficient intake capacity can be used. This fan pushes the cooled air out of at least one cooling air outlet

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPressure gradient: Pressure Gradient

Data Source

PatentEP3469298B1Vehicle having an engine-cooling system
Publication Date: 2022.08.10 RHEINMETALL LANDSYSTEME GMBH
  • EP3469298B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3469298B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3469298B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a vehicle (1), having a hull roof (6) and a cooling system (3) for an engine of the vehicle (1). The cooling system (3) has at least one cooler (4, 5), having at least one coolant cooler (11, 12) and one fan (13, 14). The vehicle (1) itself is covered from above by additional armor (7). The additional armor (7) is spaced apart from the hull roof (6) and preferably has a peripheral collar (8), which protrudes beyond the hull roof (6), whereby an opening (9) is created, which can be used as a cooling air inlet (10) of the cooling system (3).