Ordnance – Shields – Shape or composition
Patent
1979-10-17
1985-08-13
Godici, Nicholas P.
Ordnance
Shields
Shape or composition
164108, 164110, 428545, 428911, F41H 504, B22D 1902
Patent
active
045342660
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a method of manufacturing composite metal components, inter alia cast armour plating, comprising ceramic inserts embedded in the component when the component is cast. The invention also relates to armour plating made by the method.
In some known methods of this kind, the ceramic inserts are first mixed with the liquid metal and the assembly is placed in a mould where the metal solidifies and holds the inserts in random positions, i.e. resulting from the position of each insert at the moment when the surrounding metal solidifies.
The inserts, owing to their random position, do not give reliable, reproducible ballistic efficiency. To obviate this unreliability, the armour is made thicker. The weight of the armour is a serious handicap for mobile devices, inter alia tanks, and the object of the invention is to construct armour plating having increased, reliable ballistic efficiency.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,705,558 discloses light-alloy armour comprising a layer of inserts made up of a pyramid of ceramic balls. This layer, which is placed at the centre of the armour, is a discontinuity which reduces the mechanical strength. The ceramic balls are in contact with one another and leave very small gaps for the liquid metal. The supports holding the balls in the mould may bend as a result of expansion caused by the liquid metal and softening after heating.
The method according to the invention aims to obviate these disadvantages and is characterized in that the ceramic inserts have positioning protuberances and are disposed and positioned by means of the protuberances in regular manner in the mould in a predetermined network to ensure ballistic efficiency and leave gaps between them for the liquid metal, and the liquid metal is poured into the mould so as to fill the gaps and embed the inserts, which are anchored and finely positioned in the armour plating when the metal solidifies.
The method according to the invention ensures predetermined positioning, thus advantageously securing the ceramic inserts in space at intervals which ensure the maximum ballistic efficiency, allowing for the direction in which the projectile comes.
The invention also relates to a method of constructing composite armour in which a metal shell is cast around each insert to embed it and the liquid metal forming the armour is cast without appreciably melting the shells.
According to one feature of the invention the ceramic inserts which can be spheres or cylinders or ovoid or prismatic, are embedded in a shell forming an individual metal cover having male and female portions for fitting the embedded inserts in one another so as to hold them in relative position.
The individual embedment of the inserts is made in a mould enabling the ceramic insert to be positioned in an invariable central place. The liquid metal is poured into the space between the mould and ceramic, thus embedding the insert and forming a shell having projecting tenons and hollow portions used for subsequent relative positioning in the armour proper. The inserts in their shells are prepared by eliminating any projections used for casting and any traces of joins which could interfere with the subsequent assembling of the inserts.
The cast metal armour plating is manufactured by placing the joined-together inserts in the mould and resting them on the mould walls in order to secure them when the mould is closed, thus preventing any displacement when the actual armour is cast.
The shell can be made of the same or different metal from the metal forming the armour, and the armour is cast under conditions chosen to prevent any melting of the shell surrounding the insert. It may be advantageous to heat the coated inserts before casting the metal armour, to prevent any surface reaction which may adversely affect the compactness of the armour. The embedment of the inserts permits an increased ballistic efficiency of the armour. The ceramics used are chosen for their ballistic properties and can e.g. be of the kind described in the previously-mentioned patent. Sinter
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patent: 4061815 (1977-12-01), Poole
patent: 4197341 (1980-04-01), Rule
Aluminum Company of America
Godici Nicholas P.
Lippert Carl
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