Pre-tensioned Suspension for Armored Vehicle Floor Panels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Armored vehicles face significant challenges in protecting personnel from the severe accelerations and injuries caused by explosions, as existing solutions often require complex designs, increased weight, and reduced mobility, and fail to effectively manage pressure buildup under the inner floor during bottom plate deformation.
Innovation Solution
A simple and reliable suspension system using pre-tensioned plastically deformable spring elements connects the inner floor to the vehicle structure, limiting acceleration and absorbing energy through plastic deformation, while maintaining stability and reducing pressure buildup through perforations and spacing between floor panels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the bottom plate is reinforced to reduce deformation and acceleration from explosions, then protection against explosions is improved, but vehicle weight increases and mobility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The bottom plate is divided into multiple segments or sections, each capable of deforming independently during an explosion. This segmentation allows the structure to absorb impact energy through controlled deformation of individual segments rather than requiring the entire plate to be heavily reinforced, thereby reducing overall weight while maintaining protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The bottom plate utilizes materials or structural properties that change their mechanical parameters in response to explosion forces. For example, the plate may transition from a rigid state during normal operation to a more compliant state during explosion, allowing it to deform and absorb energy without requiring excessive reinforcement for static strength.
2Strength
If the bottom plate is reinforced to reduce acceleration from explosions, then protection against explosions is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bottom plate is designed to automatically respond to explosion forces through its inherent structural properties without requiring external control systems, sensors, or active mechanisms. The plate's geometry and material properties enable it to deform and absorb energy passively, eliminating the need for complex control systems while maintaining effective protection.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the inner floor is rigidly connected to the vehicle structure, then structural stability is improved, but acceleration forces are transmitted to occupants during explosions
Solution Approach 1:
An intermediate layer or damping mechanism is introduced between the inner floor and the vehicle structure. This intermediary element allows the floor to remain stable in normal operation while absorbing and dissipating explosion forces, preventing direct transmission of acceleration forces to occupants seated on the floor.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner floor incorporates energy-absorbing elements or cushioning materials that are pre-positioned to activate during explosion events. These elements are designed to deform or compress in advance of the explosion impact, creating a buffer that reduces the transmission of acceleration forces to occupants before the full force of the explosion is transmitted.
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
The solution effectively limits the acceleration of the inner floor to safe levels, reduces the risk of injury, and maintains vehicle stability and mobility by using commercially available springs and perforated floor panels, which absorb energy and vent pressure, thereby protecting occupants from explosion-induced forces.
Implementation Method 1
The spring element is pre-tensioned to pull the floor panel upwards... by plastic deformation under elongation of the spring element following the explosion
Implementation Method 2
Each attachment or suspension device comprises at least one plastically deformable spring element... The spring element is pre-tensioned to pull the floor panel upwards
Implementation Method 3
the at least one floor panel is provided with a plurality of perforations to allow air to pass from below the floor panel to above the floor panel as a result of a pressure increase below the floor panel
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
An armored land vehicle comprising a vehicle structure (1) and an inner floor (2), the inner floor (2) comprising at least one floor panel (21) suspended from the vehicle structure by a plurality of suspension devices (3). Each suspension device (3) comprises a plastically deformable spring element (32) joining the floor panel (21) to the vehicle structure (1), the spring element (32) being pre-tensioned to pull the floor panel upwards so as to establish pressure against at least one stop part (38). The arrangement makes it possible to limit the acceleration of the floor panel following an explosion under the vehicle. Perforations (24) in and/or spacing (28) between floor panels (21) can mitigate the pressure increase under the floor panels following an explosion under the vehicle.