Patent Application
20140137724
There are a variety of uses for ballistic protection materials. For example, personal armor, such as bullet proof vests, is useful for protecting individuals. Some ballistic protection materials have been incorporated into vehicles, such as military aircraft, ships or land vehicles. One aspect of most ballistic protection materials used for vehicle applications is that they are added on the vehicle to supplement the structural materials of the vehicle. While this approach is valuable in that it provides protection for occupants and vehicle components it has the drawback of adding weight and expense.
Another aspect of some ballistic protection materials is that they are designed for a specific purpose or to protect against an attack that involves a particular type of ammunition. It therefore may not be possible to utilize one type of ballistic protection material intended for one application in a different context.
According to an embodiment, a structural panel includes, among other things, a stiff composite material that establishes a base layer of the panel having a desired shape. A high molecular weight polyethylene fiber composite material establishes a ballistic protection layer of the panel that is secured to the base layer. A second composite material layer received against the ballistic protection layer such that the ballistic protection layer is situated between the second composite material layer and the base layer for providing a depth for recessed features.
The various features and advantages of at least one disclosed example embodiment will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description. The drawings that accompany the detailed description can be briefly described as follows.
A structural panel that is useful, for example, as a structural panel for a vehicle provides ballistic protection. The structural panel is stiff and strong enough to be self-supporting and weight bearing yet light weight and an effective ballistic protection layer.
In
The panels 40 are self-supporting and capable of bearing a preselected amount of weight when they are sufficiently supported by the frame portion 30. For example, provided that tub structure members (not visible from the perspective of
The base layer in one embodiment is a composite material including fibers for strength and stiffness. Some example base layers include carbon fibers. One feature of an embodiment containing carbon fibers is that the carbon layer may be very thin, which contributes to making the panels 40 very lightweight.
Other example base layers 42 include glass fibers. One particular example includes magnesium aluminosilicate (S-2) glass fibers. Some example base layers 42 comprise at least one of a glass fiber fabric or tape.
Another example base layer 42 includes a fiber reinforced ceramic matrix composite material.
A ballistic protection layer 44 comprises a high molecular weight polyethylene fiber composite material. Such materials are useful as a ballistic protection layer because they include extremely long chains of polyethylene, which all align in the same direction. The material derives its strength largely from the length of each individual chain. The long chains serve to transfer load more effectively to the polymer backbone by strengthening intermolecular interactions. Such materials are useful for ballistic protection because of their toughness and high impact strength. Commercially available materials that may be used in some example embodiments include DYNEEMA® and SPECTRA®.
The illustrated example includes a third, sandwich composite layer 46 that provides additional features. The base layer 42 and sandwich composite layer 46 establish the structural stiffness and the ballistic protection layer 44 establishes the protective aspects of the example panels 40.
The sandwich composite layer 46 provides a barrier or covering over the ballistic protection layer 44 to guard against potential impact from individuals or items placed on the floor 22 of the vehicle 20 Some high molecular weight polyethylene fiber composite materials may not be considered suitable as a floor surface and adding a covering, such as the layer 46, increases the utility of the panel 40 without adding substantial weight.
The example sandwich composite layer 46 also adds depth to the panel 40. In some example embodiments, it will be desirable to secure items or components to the panel 40. For example,
The mounting plate 50 is received against a portion of the ballistic protection layer 44 with some of the layer 46 received against at least some of the sidewall 54. The ballistic protection layer 44 in this example has a first thickness t1 along the portion that abuts the base 52 of the mounting plate 50. A remainder of the illustrated section of the ballistic protection layer 44 has a second, greater thickness t2. With the illustrated arrangement, even portions of the panel 40 that are used for securing another structure in place include at least a partial layer of ballistic protection. This feature provides additional protection compared to arrangements in which a ballistic material is added onto a separate structural panel because the ballistic material typically cannot be provided along the portions that include structures such as a mounting plate.
An example mounting plate 50 that is useful in some example embodiments is shown in
The preceding description is illustrative rather than limiting in nature. Variations and modifications to the disclosed examples may become apparent to those skilled in the art. The scope of legal protection can only be determined by studying the following claims.
This invention was made with government support under Contract No. W911W6-06-2-0001 awarded by the United States Army. The Government therefore has certain rights in this invention.
