Lightweight composite armor
US7490539B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 22, 2005 |
| Grant date | Feb 17, 2009 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 27, 2026 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF41H5/0492
- WIPO fieldOther special machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
Improved composite armor designs use optimally shaped ceramic pellets and a web system for patterning the pellets, improving manufacturability, and providing additional structural reinforcement. The result is lightweight, composite hybrid structures for ballistic protection particularly suited to tactical ground vehicles. The preferred embodiment is a combination of three major components: 1) an optimally designed web system that allows armor tiles to be attached to it and that can be easily integrated with existing vehicle structures; 2) an advanced composite armor unit using a patent-pending BTR (Bio-mimetic Tendon-Reinforced) material as the supporting structure; and 3) optimally placed “waiting materials” which can provide enhanced ballistic impact resistance, energy absorption capability and structural integrity. These “waiting materials” are structural members that are not active at the beginning of the ballistic impact, but become active when needed or the active members have failed.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.