Patent Grant
8231945
The invention relates generally to the production of impact deflecting materials, and more specifically to a method for producing materials that improve the capability to resist impact and deflect bullets discharged by a firearm.
Numerous fabrics, materials, composites, structures, and assemblies are known for use in bullet proof vests including those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,776,838; 5,614,305; 5,090,053; 4,822,657; and 4,510,200. However, none are known which exhibit the combined light weight, resistance to impact and perforation damage, tolerance to wide variations in temperature and humidity, and low manufacturing costs offered by the impact deflecting material of the present invention.
Bullet proof vests which are made of Kevlar are known. Kevlar is a synthetic aramid fiber which when assembled in layered fabric form or laminated with other materials provides high impact resistance, high strength to weight ratio, high tensile modulus, RF transparency, thermal stability, fire resistance, corrosion resistance, and durability. However, such vests are expensive to manufacture, are a heavy burden (generally 9 to 18 pounds) to the wearer, and provide inadequate protection against blunt trauma effects such as broken ribs and body bruises. Further, Kevlar type woven fabrics are susceptible to deterioration due to abrasion, moisture, or sunlight, and must be encased in moisture-proof and light-proof coverings.
It is an object of this invention to produce a low cost, lightweight product having improved projectile deflection characteristics at all angles of incidence, as well as improved resistance to impact and perforation damage.
It is an additional object of this invention to provide a product to repel, resist, and deflect high velocity projectiles without injury to a person wearing a garment comprised of the product.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a product that does not deteriorate appreciably from abrasion, and that when fully exposed to inclement weather tolerates a wide range of temperature and humidity without deterioration or chemical breakdown.
In one aspect of the invention, the product is formed from a mixture comprising single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT's) in an epoxy resin composition that is cured in a temperature and humidity controlled environment in the presence of an electric field having a near electric field strength sufficient to align the SWCNTs in a same direction.
In another aspect of the invention, an impact deflecting material is produced that is of a light weight and low cost, that has improved projectile deflection characteristics at all angles of incidence, that exhibits improved impact puncture and perforation resistance characteristics, that provides improved protection against blunt trauma effects, that tolerates without deterioration wide ranges of temperature and humidity when fully exposed to inclement weather, and that does not appreciably deteriorate from abrasion.
The foregoing and other objects, aspects, and advantages of the invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention when taken with reference to the drawings, in which:
a is a front plan view of a vest with overlapping panels of impact deflecting material prepared in accordance with the invention and affixed to the vest;
b is a left side view of the vest of
The following definitions are used consistently throughout this specification:
“SWCNT(s)” means single walled carbon nanotubes.
The words “ascertainable”, “appreciable”, and “discernible” as used in this specification mean to discover or detect by the naked eye or through the aid of a device such as a magnifying glass.
Referring to
In manufacturing the impact deflection bricks of
A mixture of impact deflecting material in accordance with the invention is comprised of each ingredient listed in Table I above, with each ingredient being within its respective weight percentage range, and with the total weight percentage of all ingredients being 100%.
In the preferred embodiment, the mixture is comprised by percentage weight of the following ingredients: 1% SWCNTs, 32% Calcium Carbonate, 5% Iron powder, 15% Epoxy Resin, 1% Amorphous Silica, 8% Non-Fibrous Talc, 0.5% Aromatic Hydrocarbons, 17.5% Barium Sulfate, 2.5% Alkyl Phenol, 15% Mercaptan Terminated Polymer, and 2.5% [2,4,6 Dimethylamino Methyl]Phenol 1.
The specifications for each of the above ingredients are as presented in Table II below:
An 86 millimeter in diameter Petri dish 20 has a 1 mm hole 21 in its center. A
DC electric field having a near electrical field strength of 0.042857 volts/meter is created by attaching the positive terminal of a RAY-O-VAC 6 volt battery 22, by way of a 20 gauge copper wire 23, to an electrical ground 24 that is placed 112 centimeters from the positive terminal of the battery 22.
The RAY-O-VAC battery is a Heavy Duty 6 volt battery, stock number 944, which is generally available at hardware stores throughout the nation.
The electrical ground 24 is created by winding the copper wire 23 twenty-five times around a number SS-50 steel screw that is mounted to an iron vise. The copper wire further extends an additional 12 centimeters from the steel screw and downward through the 1 mm hole 21 at the center of the Petri dish. The hole 21 then is sealed by an adhesive tape such as standard scotch tape to keep SWCNTs from falling through the hole.
The negative terminal of the battery 22 is connected by way of a 20 gauge copper wire 25 to a mixture of impact deflecting material (in accordance with the invention) that is at a distance of ninety centimeters from the negative terminal. The distal end of the wire forms a 7 centimeter in diameter loop 26 that is aligned coaxially with the Petri dish 20, and lies on the upper surface of the dish. The DC electric field created by the battery 22, when connected as described above, serves to align the SWCNTS comprising the mixture of impact deflecting material during its cure period.
The mixture of impact deflecting material, comprising the ingredients listed in Table II in the weight percentages presented in Table I, is formed by first sprinkling the SWCNTs onto a fiber glass cloth placed in the Petri dish 20, and then uniformly covering the SWCNTs with a composition of the remaining ingredients of Table I. The mixture next is blended at 2800 rpm for about a minute with a generally available blending tool such as a Dremel 2850 rotary mixing tool manufactured by Dremel, a division of Robert Bosch Tool Corporation of Racine, Wis. The mixture thereafter is hand mixed for about a minute to achieve a uniformity in circular shape, color, and depth. The plastic lid normally accompanying Petri dishes is then placed over the Petri dish 20, and the mixture is allowed to cure for seven hours in the controlled environment and DC electric field.
During the cure period, the internal temperature of the mixture is periodically measured as depicted by the graphs of
The surface temperature of the mixture was measured with a Pacific Transducer, Model 572F, manufactured by Pacific Transducer Corporation of Los Angeles, Calif., and generally available at specialty metal working stores throughout the nation. The internal temperature of the mixture was measured with a Fluke Model 52K/J Thermometer with thermocouple, manufactured by John Fluke Manufacturing Company of Palatine, Ill., and generally available at thermal specialty instrumentation stores throughout the nation.
Referring to
It is to be understood that the circular bricks 10 of
In each of the two layers of panels 32 of
It also is to be understood that bricks of impact deflecting material in accordance with the invention may be trimmed after curing in such a manner that the SWCNTs in the inner layer of panels 32 are aligned in a direction different from the direction of alignment of the SWCNTs in the outer layer of panels 32. The overlapping of the inner and outer layers of panels 32 thereby provides a near impervious protective shield.
The panels 32 are held in place on the vest 30 by sewing with nylon thread to attach the fiber glass backing of the individual panels 32 to an inner layer of light weight fiber glass cloth comprising the vest. In the preferred embodiment, the vest 30 is made of nylon, and the light weight fiber glass cloth used in the inner layer of the vest is offered commercially by Bondo Corporation of Atlanta, Ga., as part number 20128.
b illustrates a left side view of the vest of
The vest 30 constructed as described above includes only two layers of impact deflection panels 32, each layer being 6.35 mm thick as compared to KEVLAR vests which typically are comprised of 18 layers of impact resistant material with each layer having a thickness of 3 mm. Further, the KEVLAR vests, as with most other known bullet proof vests, includes a strike plate which adds about 25% more weight to the vest. With the present invention, a strike plate is not required to achieve superior results.
The vest 30 was tested by firing a Walther PPKS semi-automatic pistol chambered with 85 and 95-grain steel jacketed hollow point .380 caliber bullets. The pistol was pointed perpendicular to the panels 32 of the vest 30 at a distance of seven (7) meters. Upon visual inspection, no damage other than superficial scratches was found on the panels 32. No perforations of the panels 32 were found.
The above experiment was repeated with 85 and 95-grain brass solid core .380 caliber bullets, and 85 and 95 grain hollow point .380 caliber bullets, with the same results.
Further, the above experiment was repeated by using a Smith and Wesson semi-automatic pistol chambered with 22 Long Rifle and 22 Magnum bullets, with same results.
In addition, the above experiments were repeated with the above pistols positioned at angles of incidence in the range of 45 to 90 degrees with respect to the panels 32 of the vest 30 with same results. That is, no penetration of the panels 32 was found, and due to the deflection characteristics of the panels 32, no ascertainable damage other than superficial scratches to the panels was found to exist.
Lastly, the vest 30 was exposed unprotected, in inclement weather, twenty-four hours per day, to coastal salt air in the temperature range of zero to twenty-seven degrees Celsius, and in the humidity range of 27 to 100% over a period of three months with no discernible deterioration or debilitative chemical reaction in the panels 32.
Referring to
It is to be understood that while preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described above, variations in composition, arrangement of constituents and parts, and order of process steps may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the Claims.
This Application is a Divisional Application of application Ser. No. 11/050,884, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,682,694 filed on Feb. 4, 2005, for “Product And Method For Impact Deflecting Materials”, to which a claim of priority to Feb. 4, 2005 is made.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4969386 | Sandstrom et al. | Nov 1990 | A |
| 5097538 | Feuling | Mar 1992 | A |
| 7105596 | Smalley et al. | Sep 2006 | B2 |
| 20020085968 | Smalley et al. | Jul 2002 | A1 |
| 20050074390 | Tour et al. | Apr 2005 | A1 |
| 20050169830 | Richard et al. | Aug 2005 | A1 |
| 20050245667 | Harmon et al. | Nov 2005 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 11050884 | Feb 2005 | US |
| Child | 11888165 | US |
