W-Shaped Hull Blast Deflection Geometry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing armored land vehicle designs with flat or nearly flat underbellies are vulnerable to severe damage and fatal outcomes from anti-tank mine and improvised explosive device blasts due to vertical deflection and localized bending, with previous attempts to enhance blast protection reducing mobility and payload capacity.
Innovation Solution
A double-vertex shaped hull with inside and outside inclined walls, a concave structure, and a cap to protect welds, designed to deform along inside walls and create a downward force on a substantially flat surface to mitigate blast effects, reducing deflection and injury to occupants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the thickness of the hull is increased to improve blast protection, then the vehicle's resistance to explosion damage is improved, but the vehicle's mobility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curvature by transitioning from a flat-bottomed hull to a V-shaped hull with a curved vertex. This geometric change allows the hull to deflect blast forces more effectively without requiring increased thickness, thereby maintaining mobility while improving blast protection. The curved surface distributes stress more evenly throughout the structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the hull by introducing a specific V-shape configuration with defined angles and dimensions. This parameter optimization allows the hull to achieve enhanced blast resistance through geometric efficiency rather than increased material thickness, preserving the vehicle's mobility characteristics.
2Strength
If the hull height is raised to improve blast protection, then the vehicle's resistance to explosion damage is improved, but the available stroke for mitigating black shock affecting occupant survivability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The V-shaped curved hull design creates a more efficient blast deflection geometry that protects occupants without requiring increased hull height. The curved surfaces redirect blast forces away from the occupant compartment, maintaining survivability space while providing enhanced protection.
3Ease of manufacture
If a flat-bottomed hull design is used, then the vehicle's manufacturing is simplified, but the vehicle suffers severe damage from explosions due to vertical deflection and localized bending
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a V-shaped curved bottom hull that replaces the flat bottom design. This geometric change fundamentally improves blast resistance by eliminating the vertical deflection and localized bending problems inherent in flat-bottomed designs, while the V-shape can be manufactured using standard shipbuilding techniques.
4Strength
If sharp angles in the hull structure are maintained, then the structural integrity is preserved, but the hull experiences bending about a localized pivot point during explosion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces sharp angles with smooth curved surfaces in the V-shaped hull design. This eliminates the localized pivot points that cause bending during explosions, allowing the blast forces to be distributed more uniformly across the hull structure while maintaining structural integrity.
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 W-shaped hull effectively manages blast energy and impulse by minimizing pressure, deflection, and acceleration, enhancing crew survivability and reducing damage to the vehicle without compromising mobility or payload.
Implementation Method 1
the base deforms along at least one inside wall to create a downward force on the at least one substantially flat surface of the concave structure
Implementation Method 2
When a blast occurs, an armored vehicle should manage and absorb the energy and impulse generated from a blast
Data Source
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AI summary
The present embodiments relate to hull (100) have a geometric shape designed to mitigate the effects of an explosion. In an exemplary embodiment, the hull (100) may have a double-vertex shape (114,116).