Apparel – Guard or protector – Penetration resistant
Patent
1994-09-23
1996-05-14
Crowder, C. D.
Apparel
Guard or protector
Penetration resistant
F41H 102
Patent
active
055155413
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to armor for providing protection against projectiles or knife attack. In particular, it relates to body armor for protecting, at least part, of a wearer's body.
It is known to produce garments including plates of bullet-resistant and/or knife-resistant material to protect a wearer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,689 discloses a surgeon's glove comprising a flexible sheet material to which are attached on one side thereof disc-like plates. The plates are attached at a central point to a projection of the sheet material and are arranged to overlap. This arrangement is designed to counter the accidental thrust of a needle or scalpel, but if a similar arrangement were used to counter a knife or bullet thrust, it would be inflexible due to frictional forces generated by overlapping contacting regions of the discs.
Whilst it is possible to produce armor which successfully resists knife attack, it is another matter to produce armor which is flexible enough to be worn for long periods without discomfort and to allow a wide range of movement. It is an object of the invention to provide such body armor.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the invention provides armor comprising a flexible sheet having a threat side facing a direction of threat and a protected side adjacent an area to be protected in use, and a plurality of armor plates attached to the sides of the sheet and grouped such that the plates of a first group attached to the protected side are in overlapping registration with the plates of a second group attached to the threat side, the registration being such that exposed regions of sheet on the threat side register with plates of the first group so preventing penetration of the armor through the exposed region; characterised in that the armor plates comprise discs.
By arranging the plates in this manner, the plates of the first group and second group overlap but do not make contact reducing the frictional forces generated by flexing. Further, the plates do not prevent the edges of the other plates moving out of the plane of the sheet. The flexibility of the armor is thus greatly increased. For greatest flexibility, the plates are attached at a substantially central region of the plate.
By threat side it is meant, the side onto which a projectile or knife or other hazardous object may impinge. The protected side is the side which is adjacent the body of the wearer of the armor or adjacent an area or object to be protected.
An example of an object to be protected, is a vehicle which may itself be an armored or a so called `soft` non-armored vehicle. An area to be protected could be a medical or other personnel occupied area. The flexibility of armor according to the invention is particularly advantageous in such applications since it permits compact storage, and easy deployment and storage by rolling the armour.
It is envisaged that the armor could be draped over an object because of its flexibility or erected in the manner of a tent or awning. The well known canvas or other flexible material tops provided for weather protection of personnel or materiel carried in the rear of lorries or similar vehicles could be replaced or augmented by armor in accordance with the invention.
Such an arrangement would confer conveniently deployable protection against shrapnel and anti-personnel weaponry such as bombs including flechettes. Flechettes are short arrows or darts designed primarily for inflicting injury on personnel.
By virtue of the armor's lightness and flexibility it may be worn by personnel in the ordinary course of their duties not just when an attack is anticipated. Thus the armor may be worn by policemen or police-women during their normal duties. The armor may also be used to protect the horses of mounted police.
The flexible sheet may be formed of a single material, woven or non-woven, or formed from a composite material. In a preferred form, the sheet is a composite of a thermoplastic sandwiched between two sheets of ballistic nylon. A preferred range of thickness
REFERENCES:
patent: 2819759 (1958-01-01), Goodloe
patent: 3813281 (1974-05-01), Burgess et al.
patent: 3867239 (1975-02-01), Alesi et al.
patent: 4287607 (1981-09-01), Leach
patent: 4951689 (1990-08-01), Jones
Jones Glynn
Sacks Michael
Crowder C. D.
Lewis Paul C.
Sacks Michael
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