Blast Shield Using Phase-Transition Damping Material
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle designs face limitations in effectively mitigating blast effects from land mines and IEDs, as existing solutions like the V-hull cannot be implemented in all vehicles, and heavy armor is not feasible for all configurations, particularly for vehicles like the military HMMWV that require quick terrain traversal.
Innovation Solution
A lightweight blast shield utilizing ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE) damping material that transitions from a solid to a viscous fluid state under stress, combined with a plunger plate with blades, is designed to deflect and absorb blast energy, providing effective blast mitigation by embedding soil and dissipating energy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a V-hull is used to deflect blast forces, then blast mitigation is improved, but vehicle complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The shield is divided into multiple functional layers: a plunger plate with blades, damping material layers, and a hull plate. Each layer performs a specific function in the blast mitigation process, allowing the system to achieve complex blast protection without requiring the entire vehicle hull to be complex.
Solution Approach 2:
The shield uses composite construction combining metal plates (plunger plate and hull plate) with damping material layers. This composite approach provides both structural integrity and energy absorption capabilities, achieving effective blast mitigation with a relatively simple overall structure that can be integrated into various vehicle types.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If heavy armor is added to protect against blasts, then blast mitigation is improved, but vehicle weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The damping material undergoes a parameter change from solid to viscous fluid state when critically stressed in compression during a blast event. This phase transition allows the material to absorb significant blast energy without requiring heavy armor, maintaining vehicle weight efficiency while providing effective protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The damping material is designed to transition from a solid state under normal conditions to a viscous fluid state when subjected to critical compressive stress from a blast. This phase transition mechanism enables the shield to absorb blast energy dynamically, providing heavy protection equivalent to traditional armor without the corresponding weight penalty.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the shield structure is made more complex to improve blast deflection, then blast mitigation is improved, but ease of manufacture decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The shield is segmented into distinct components (plunger plate with blades, damping material layers, hull plate) that can be manufactured separately using standard fabrication processes and then assembled. This segmentation maintains manufacturing simplicity while achieving complex blast deflection functionality through the coordinated action of individual components.
Solution Approach 2:
The plunger plate serves multiple functions: it acts as a structural support element, a blast deflection surface, and a mechanism to induce phase transition in the damping material through its blades. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional specialized components, simplifying manufacturing while improving blast mitigation performance.
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 significantly reduces the vertical upward force and acceleration on vehicles during blasts, absorbing a substantial amount of blast energy and protecting the vehicle and occupants by using the unique phase transition properties of UHMW-PE and the plunger plate's energy absorption mechanism.
Implementation Method 1
damping material in a solid state and which transitions to a viscous fluid state when critically stressed in compression
Data Source
AI summary
A shield includes a first body made of damping material in a solid state and which transitions to a viscous fluid state when critically stressed in compression and a plunger plate with blades extending outwardly therefrom adjacent the first body for transitioning material of the first body from a solid to a viscous fluid state locally near the blades when the blades of the plunger plate are driven into the body. The plunger plate includes a truncated-V shape, a V-shape or a double V-shape.