DefenCell Composite Gabion Walls for Ballistic Fragmentation Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing confinement structures for particulate fill materials, such as soil or aggregate, face challenges including weight, transportation difficulties, fragmentation risks during ballistic attacks, and ease of damage, particularly in military applications where they may require additional support for installation and are prone to secondary damage.
Innovation Solution
A confinement structure comprising cells with walls made of a composite material that combines a polymeric grid layer laminated to a fabric layer, providing rigidity for filling without support, ductility to withstand ballistic damage, and preventing fragmentation, while allowing for faster installation and easier transportation by flat-packing, with interconnected cells for larger structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If metal wire or rigid plastic materials are used for gabion containers, then strength and structural integrity are improved, but weight increases and transportation becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a composite material consisting of a geotextile fabric layer laminated to a polymeric grid layer. The geotextile provides tensile strength and flexibility, while the polymeric grid provides rigidity and structural integrity. This composite structure achieves the required strength without the weight of traditional metal or rigid plastic materials, enabling easier transportation and deployment.
2Strength
If rigid plastic construction blocks are used for military barriers, then protective capability is improved, but fragmentation risk during ballistic attack increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention employs a flexible geotextile fabric as the base material, which can deform and absorb impact energy during ballistic attacks without shattering into dangerous fragments. The laminated polymeric grid layer provides structural support while maintaining the overall flexibility of the system, allowing the barrier to withstand attacks without creating secondary fragmentation hazards.
3Weight of moving object
If fabric-only construction is used for cellular confinement structures, then weight is reduced and ease of handling is improved, but resistance to damage and structural stability worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The invention combines a lightweight geotextile fabric layer with a polymeric grid layer to create a composite material that maintains the low weight and ease of handling of fabric-only structures while significantly improving damage resistance and structural stability. The polymeric grid provides tensile strength and rigidity, preventing the structure from collapsing under load or during installation.
4Adaptability or versatility
If separate fabric layer and mesh wall panels are used, then material flexibility is improved, but installation time increases due to attachment requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the fabric layer and polymeric grid layer into a single laminated composite material, eliminating the need for separate attachment operations during installation. The layers are bonded together through lamination processes, creating an integral structure that maintains the flexibility and adaptability of separate materials while reducing installation time by removing the attachment step.
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 composite material structure offers enhanced resistance to damage, reduced weight, and improved stability, allowing for the construction of protective and defensive barriers without the need for additional support, while preventing the escape of finer materials and facilitating easier handling and deployment.
Implementation Method 1
the composite material comprises a polymeric grid layer laminated to a fabric layer
Implementation Method 2
The composite material ensures that stresses generated by the fill materials will be distributed through each component layer of the wall
Implementation Method 3
The polymeric grid layer can be rigid enough to allow the cell(s) of the structure to be filled without requiring additional support
Implementation Method 4
sufficiently ductile to tolerate ballistic damage and not shatter, thus avoiding fragmentation hazards
Data Source
AI summary
A confinement structure comprises one or more open cells (70) for confinement, in use, of particulate fill materials such as soil, sand or aggregate. The cells (70) comprise walls (72) formed of a composite material comprising a polymeric grid layer laminated to a fabric layer. The walls (72) may be formed from a strip of the composite material comprising one or more living hinges. The cells (70) may be provided with skirt portions (74) that extend from at least some of the walls (72).