Layered Composite Panels for Blast and Ballistic Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional blast protection structures are bulky, heavy, and unsuitable for rapid deployment or use in sensitive urban areas, and existing composite materials for blast resistance are either too heavy for multiple uses or not reusable after deformation.
Innovation Solution
The use of layered composite panels comprising a sheet-form polymeric material bonded to a solid, open-cell phenolic resin foam core, which provides exceptional strength and resistance to delamination and fragmentation under explosive energy waves, allowing for lightweight and reusable blast-resistant and anti-ballistic protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional blast protection structures (steel, concrete, reinforced concrete) are used to reflect energy waves, then protection capability is improved, but weight and bulk increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining polymer matrix with hollow microspheres (glass, ceramic, or metal) to create a lightweight composite that provides blast protection. The composite structure integrates the protective function with reduced weight, achieving both reliability improvement and weight reduction simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes porous materials by incorporating hollow microspheres within the polymer matrix. These hollow structures create porosity that enables energy absorption through collapse mechanisms during blast events, providing protection while maintaining low density and reduced weight.
2Reliability
If conventional blast protection structures are used to reflect energy waves, then protection capability is improved, but installation time and transport difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameters of protection structures by reducing density and thickness through the use of composite materials with hollow microspheres. This allows for faster transport and installation while maintaining protective capability, directly addressing the time loss issue.
3Weight of stationary object
If porous resin-bonded aggregate materials are used to absorb blast energy, then weight is reduced, but reusability is lost after crushing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by incorporating reinforcing elements (fibers, meshes, or rigid frameworks) within the porous composite structure. These reinforcing components enable the material to self-reinforce and maintain structural integrity after blast-induced collapse of hollow spheres, allowing repeated use without replacement.
4Strength
If fiber-reinforced cementitious panels are used for blast resistance, then strength is improved, but weight remains high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameters by replacing heavy cementitious matrices with lightweight polymer matrices while incorporating hollow microspheres for additional strength-to-weight ratio improvement. This achieves high strength with significantly reduced weight compared to traditional fiber-reinforced cementitious panels.
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 impact of explosive blasts and ballistic materials, maintaining structural integrity while being lightweight and suitable for multiple uses, thus addressing the limitations of existing technologies.
Implementation Method 1
the core comprising or consisting of a first solid, open-cell foam panel... capable of absorbing to an extent the energy from energy waves associated with explosive blasts
Implementation Method 2
the sheet form polymeric material comprises a cured polymeric material which penetrates a surface of the open-cell foam panel forming a bond between the first surface layer and the core
Implementation Method 3
provides exceptional strength and resistance to delamination and fragmentation under explosive energy waves
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to composite materials and the use thereof as energy resistant, for example blast-resistant, materials. Preferred aspects of the invention relate to layered composite panels comprising solid foam materials which have both a blast attenuation function and an anti-ballistic function. In further aspects, the invention provides novel composite panels which are suitable for use as blast resistant and/or anti-ballistic materials. In some examples described, the layered composite panel comprises a polymeric material (10) bonded to a first solid open-cell foam panel (12), and a cured polymeric material (14) penetrates a surface of the first solid open-cell foam panel (12).