Armored Plate Assembly with Cork Gap Layer for Spall Containment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current body armor materials, such as ceramics and UHMWPE, often fail to effectively stop high-velocity projectiles and may not contain spall fragments, which can cause injury to the wearer and bystanders, while steel armor is heavy and ineffective at absorbing projectiles, leading to spalling issues.
Innovation Solution
An armored plate assembly comprising a base plate, a gap layer, and a secondary plate, where the base plate is typically made of steel or metal alloys, the gap layer is formed from materials like cork or polymers, and the secondary plate is made of materials like KEVLAR or polyurea, with a polyurea coating applied to contain spall fragments and reduce weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If steel armor is used to protect against high-velocity projectiles, then stopping power is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The armor system is divided into multiple functional layers: a base plate (steel or ceramic) for primary ballistic protection, a gap layer (air space or lightweight material) to reduce weight and allow spall containment, and a secondary plate (UHMWPE, aramid, or ceramic) to capture spall fragments. This segmentation allows each layer to be optimized for its specific function while reducing overall weight compared to a single thick steel plate.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite construction combining different materials with complementary properties: steel or ceramic base plate for hardness and ballistic resistance, lightweight gap layer materials (UHMWPE, aramid, or air space) for weight reduction, and secondary plate materials (UHMWPE, aramid, or ceramic) for spall containment. This composite approach achieves high protection with reduced weight by leveraging the strengths of each material.
2Reliability
If steel armor is used to stop projectiles, then ballistic protection is improved, but spall generation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The design anticipates and converts the harmful spall effect into a beneficial containment problem. By providing a dedicated secondary plate layer positioned to receive spall fragments, the system transforms the harmful spall generation from steel into a controlled containment scenario, preventing spall from injuring the wearer while maintaining the steel plate's ballistic protection function.
Solution Approach 2:
The secondary plate acts as an intermediary layer between the base plate and the wearer. It intercepts spall fragments generated by the base plate, preventing them from reaching the wearer. This intermediary layer resolves the conflict between using steel for ballistic protection and preventing spall injury.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If thick coating or sleeve is applied to contain spall, then spall containment is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a thick continuous coating, the system segments the spall containment function into a separate secondary plate layer. This discrete layer is positioned to intercept spall fragments, providing effective containment with minimal material usage and reduced weight compared to a thick coating approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The secondary plate can be constructed from thin-film or lightweight materials such as UHMWPE, aramid, or ceramic that provide adequate spall containment strength without requiring significant thickness. These thin-film materials offer high strength-to-weight ratios, achieving effective spall containment with minimal weight penalty.
Data Source
AI summary
An armored plate assembly can include a base plate, a gap layer, a containment structure around edges of the gap layer, and a coating that can be applied to an assembly of the base plate, the gap layer, and the containment structure. In some embodiments, the base plate can be formed from steel, the gap layer can be formed from natural cork, the containment structure can be formed from a polymer, and the coating can be formed from polyurea.