Cubic Ceramic Sintered Product for Transparent Armor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current sintered products for applications like temperature viewing windows and missile domes face challenges in achieving high transparency, particularly in the visible and high ultraviolet ranges, while maintaining mechanical strength, due to limitations in refractive index and cost considerations.
Innovation Solution
A sintered product with a cubic structure, comprising over 99.5% of a material with a refractive index less than 2.75 and containing titanium oxide (TiO2) along with additional dopants like ZrO2, CaO, or MgO, which improves transparency and mechanical strength, particularly through the use of zirconia stabilized with yttrium oxide and specific dopant ratios.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If sapphire is used to achieve high transparency in visible and infrared ranges, then transparency is improved, but cost becomes prohibitive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive sapphire material with a cheaper cubic ceramic composite material that achieves comparable transparency performance in the visible and infrared ranges, making the application economically viable
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a composite cubic ceramic structure containing multiple oxides (zirconia, yttria, alumina, silica) with specific proportions to achieve the desired optical properties at lower cost than pure sapphire
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional sintered products are used to achieve transparency, then manufacturing is simplified, but transparency in visible and high ultraviolet ranges is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the chemical composition parameters of the cubic ceramic material by incorporating specific oxide combinations and controlling their proportions to achieve enhanced transparency in the visible and high ultraviolet ranges while maintaining sintering manufacturability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite cubic ceramic system with multiple components (zirconia, yttria, alumina, silica) where each component contributes specific optical properties that collectively achieve high transparency while remaining manufacturable
3Illumination intensity
If products with high refractive index are used to achieve transparency, then optical performance is improved, but mechanical strength is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the refractive index parameter of the cubic ceramic material by selecting specific oxide combinations and their proportions, achieving a balance between optical performance and mechanical strength through controlled material composition
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a composite cubic ceramic structure where different oxides are combined to achieve optimal refractive index while maintaining mechanical integrity, avoiding the use of single materials that would compromise either property
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 achieves in-line transmittance values exceeding 95% in the visible and infrared ranges, along with enhanced mechanical strength, making it suitable for applications in transparent armor and missile domes.
Implementation Method 1
having a refractive index of less than 2.75 in the wavelength range between 0.2 μm and 5 μm
Implementation Method 2
improves the transparency, particularly in the visible and high ultraviolet
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a sintered product containing: in mass percent based on oxides, more than 99.5% of a material having a cubic crystallographic structure for more than 95% of the mass thereof, known as a material with a cubic structure, and having a refractive index of less than 2.75 in the wavelength range between 0.2 μm and 5 μm; and more than 50 ppma of dopants which must contain titanium oxide TiO2 and at least one additional dopant selected from ZrO2, CaO, and MgO, in which said at least one additional dopant is different from the oxide(s) forming the material with a cubic structure, but can be MgO when the material with a cubic structure is spinel MgAl2O4.