Removable Test Coupons for Ballistic Armor Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ballistic protection devices made from high-strength materials like aramid fibers and plastics are unstable over their use life due to environmental conditions, and destructive testing for performance verification renders the devices unusable.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating multiple removable test coupons with a construction identical to the protective device, allowing for periodic destructive testing without compromising the device's functionality, with each coupon being easily removable and replaceable to maintain the device's performance capability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If periodic destructive testing is performed to verify material properties, then reliability of material performance is improved, but the device becomes unusable after testing
Solution Approach 1:
The ballistic protection device is segmented into a main protective structure and separate test coupons. The test coupons are identical in construction to the main protective elements but are designed to be removable and replaceable. This segmentation allows destructive testing to be performed on the coupons rather than the entire device, thereby maintaining device usability while still verifying material properties.
Solution Approach 2:
Test coupons are created as identical copies of the main protective elements, including the same material construction (aramid fibers, plastics, or other high-strength materials). These copies serve as surrogates for the actual protective elements during testing, allowing performance verification without compromising the functional elements of the device.
2Strength
If high-strength materials are used to maintain protective performance, then strength is improved, but stability under environmental conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Test coupons are incorporated into the device construction from the beginning, positioned to monitor material condition throughout the device's service life. These coupons serve as preliminary indicators of material degradation, allowing users to assess whether the main protective elements have maintained their properties without exposing them to destructive conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The test coupons provide feedback on the condition of the high-strength materials by undergoing periodic non-destructive or destructive testing. This feedback mechanism allows users to determine when material properties have degraded below acceptable thresholds, enabling proactive replacement before protective performance is compromised.
3Ease of operation
If test coupons are incorporated into the device construction, then ease of testing is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The test coupons are designed to be easily extractable from the device construction through accessible openings or removable panels. This extraction capability simplifies the testing process by allowing coupons to be removed for testing and replaced without disassembling the entire device, thereby reducing the operational complexity despite the added construction elements.
Data Source
AI summary
A personal ballistic protection device incorporates multiple removable test coupons. Each of the test coupons are retained with the ballistic device during its use until each coupon is removed for test purposes. Each test coupon has a construction identical to the protective portions of the ballistic device and is removable and configured to allow for destructive testing. Sufficient coupons are provided with the ballistic protection device to allow for periodic testing over a predetermined useful life of the ballistic protection device. One embodiment of the device is a body armor vest.