Lightweight table providing a protective shield
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Solution Overview
Problem
Standard furniture with ballistic shielding becomes excessively heavy and unstable when attempting to quickly reposition for protection, making it difficult to deploy and maneuver in emergency situations.
Innovation Solution
A lightweight table design utilizing a low-mass sandwich structure for stiffness and a flexible, projectile-resistant material that can be easily deployed and maneuvered, with a load-bearing panel and a separately optimized ballistic material for protection, allowing the table to be both rigid and lightweight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If hard-shell armor plate or ceramic material is incorporated into the tabletop to provide ballistic protection, then the protective capability is improved, but the weight of the tabletop increases substantially
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite structure combining a load-bearing panel (for structural support) with a separate projectile-resistant material layer (for ballistic protection). This composite approach allows each material to be optimized for its specific function, achieving effective protection without the excessive weight of traditional solid armor plates. The load-bearing panel can be made from lightweight materials like aluminum or composite structures, while the ballistic layer provides protection independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The tabletop is divided into functionally independent components: a load-bearing panel that provides structural support and a separately attached projectile-resistant material that provides ballistic protection. This segmentation allows the ballistic protection function to be added without requiring the entire tabletop structure to be made from heavy armor materials, thus reducing overall weight while maintaining protective capability.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If heavy ballistic shielding material is used to provide protection, then the protective capability is improved, but the ease of moving and repositioning the table deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By using composite materials where the load-bearing panel and ballistic protection layer are independently optimized, the overall weight is reduced compared to traditional solid armor construction. This weight reduction enables individuals to safely and reliably move the table from horizontal to vertical position and reposition it as needed, while still providing effective ballistic protection.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If heavy ballistic shielding is incorporated into the table, then the protective capability is improved, but the stability of the table during quick movement deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The composite structure with independently optimized components provides effective ballistic protection while reducing excessive weight. This weight optimization prevents stability problems that occur when heavy ballistic material is moved quickly, allowing the table to maintain stability during rapid deployment and repositioning operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A projectile-resistant table provides a reduced weight by employing separate structures for table stiffness and projectile resistance, for example, using a sandwich structure composite with high stiffness and tow projectile resistance for table integrity and a flexible fiber mat with low stiffness but high projectile resistance for shielding.