Reactive Armor Auxiliary Plate Velocity Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing reactive armor modules are inefficient against directional jets from shaped-charged warheads and kinetic energy projectiles, as they often result in rapid plate movement that fails to effectively disperse the jet's energy across the impact area, leading to incomplete protection and weight inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of auxiliary plates positioned between or behind the base plates in the armor cassette module, which absorb and reduce the velocity of the propelled base plates, allowing for a controlled dispersion of the directional jet's energy and reducing the overall weight of the armor module by up to 30%.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If standard reactive armor cassettes with explosive material sandwiched between two plates are used, then the armor can protect against shaped charge projectiles, but the plate movement is too rapid to effectively disperse the jet's energy, resulting in incomplete protection
Solution Approach 1:
A deceleration element is introduced as an intermediary component between the explosive charge and the armor plate. This mediator absorbs the initial high-speed impact and gradually transfers energy to the plate, reducing the plate's velocity while maintaining the protective function against shaped charge jets.
Solution Approach 2:
The deceleration element performs preliminary energy absorption before the main armor plate engages with the projectile jet. By预先 (in advance) reducing the plate's velocity, the system ensures more effective energy dispersion when the plate ultimately interacts with the jet.
2Reliability
If multiple armor cassettes are used to cover greater area and improve protection, then the protection coverage increases, but the overall weight of the armor module increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The deceleration element is designed as a separate, removable component that can be selectively added or removed. This extraction approach allows optimization of the armor system by including only the necessary weight of deceleration material to achieve the desired protection level, rather than uniformly increasing weight across all cassettes.
3Duration of action of moving object
If the explosive charge is positioned close to the armor plate for immediate reaction, then the response time is reduced, but the energy dispersion effectiveness decreases due to excessive plate velocity
Solution Approach 1:
The deceleration element is nested within the armor cassette structure, positioned between the explosive charge and the armor plate. This nested configuration allows the deceleration element to be integrated into the existing compact design without significantly increasing the overall response time, while still providing the necessary velocity reduction.
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
This design enhances the armor's effectiveness by increasing protection efficiency by 20% and reducing weight, while also allowing for simpler assembly and cost-efficient production, with improved survivability against various projectile threats, including Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
Implementation Method 1
The explosive material is adapted to explode upon impact of the directional jet therewith, and thereby propel the two plates in essentially opposite directions
Implementation Method 2
said auxiliary plate is adapted to reduce the velocity of said base plate upon collision of said base plate with said auxiliary plate
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A~2C
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
A reactive armor module for protecting a target from an incoming projectile, and comprising at least one armor cassette formed of a front base plate and a rear base plate sandwiching between them at least one layer of energetic material, the front base plate and the rear base plate being adapted, upon impact of the projectile with the energetic material, to be propelled in opposite directions; the armor module further comprising at least one non-energetic auxiliary plate spaced from the armor cassette and positioned essentially along the expected trajectory of either the front or the rear base plate, such that when propelled, the velocity of a base plate facing the auxiliary plate is reduced upon collision with the auxiliary plate.