Variable Adhesion Fiber-Matrix Composite Armor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing armor panels face challenges in achieving high optical transparency while providing improved ballistic performance with minimal weight, as they often suffer from increased mass and bulk due to dense materials, and experience significant loss in optical performance post-impact due to crack propagation.
Innovation Solution
A composite article with varying fiber-matrix adhesion levels throughout its layers, where the adhesion level increases or decreases progressively from one face to the other, allowing controlled fiber movement and energy absorption during impacts, thereby maintaining optical clarity and enhancing ballistic resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If glass and acrylic sheets are laminated to improve ballistic resistance, then protection against projectiles is enhanced, but the overall mass and bulk of the armor panel increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite structure consisting of multiple layers including glass sheets, acrylic sheets, and polycarbonate layers laminated together. This composite material approach allows the armor panel to achieve enhanced ballistic resistance through the synergistic combination of different materials, each contributing specific properties such as hardness, toughness, and energy absorption, while optimizing the overall weight compared to using a single dense material throughout
Solution Approach 2:
The armor panel is divided into multiple discrete layers with distinct functions: glass layers for initial projectile engagement and hardness, acrylic layers for optical clarity and intermediate protection, and polycarbonate layers for energy absorption and ductility. This segmentation allows each layer to be optimized for its specific role, improving ballistic performance without requiring excessive thickness of any single material
2Illumination intensity
If transparent materials are used to maintain optical performance, then visibility is preserved, but crack propagation from impact sites causes significant loss of optical performance in the remainder of the panel
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates ductile polycarbonate layers between the more brittle glass and acrylic layers to act as a cushioning element that absorbs impact energy and prevents crack propagation. This prior cushioning approach ensures that when an impact occurs, the ductile layer yields and absorbs energy before cracks can propagate through the transparent acrylic and glass layers, thereby maintaining optical performance across the entire panel
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the mechanical parameters of the composite structure by introducing materials with different ductility characteristics. The polycarbonate layers provide high ductility and toughness, while the glass and acrylic provide hardness and optical clarity. This parameter differentiation allows the structure to absorb impact energy through controlled deformation in the polycarbonate layers while the transparent layers maintain their optical integrity
3Strength
If dense materials like glass are used to provide sufficient ballistic protection, then projectile resistance is improved, but the thickness and bulk of the armor panel increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite material system where glass sheets provide hardness and initial projectile engagement, while thinner layers of acrylic and polycarbonate provide toughness and energy absorption. This composite approach achieves sufficient ballistic protection with reduced overall thickness compared to using thick layers of dense glass alone, as the combination of materials provides synergistic protection mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The armor panel applies different material properties at different locations and layers: hard, brittle glass layers are positioned to engage the projectile first and provide localized hardness, while ductile polycarbonate layers are positioned deeper to absorb energy through deformation. This local quality differentiation allows each layer to be optimized for its specific function, reducing the need for excessive thickness throughout the entire panel
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 article effectively decelerates projectiles by distributing tensile strain over a longer fiber length, increasing energy absorption and maintaining optical performance by controlling the area impacted and delamination during ballistic events.
Implementation Method 1
The composite article effectively decelerates projectiles by distributing tensile strain over a longer fiber length, increasing energy absorption
Implementation Method 2
maintaining optical performance by controlling the area impacted and delamination during ballistic events
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4A~4B
AI summary
A composite article includes a plurality of fibers at least partially embedded within a matrix. The fibers may be adhered to the matrix at a level of adhesion. The adhesion level between the fibers and the matrix is varied spatially within the composite article. The adhesion level varies between the layers of the composite article