Ordnance – Shields – Shape or composition
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-18
2001-07-03
Jordan, Charles T. (Department: 3644)
Ordnance
Shields
Shape or composition
Reexamination Certificate
active
06253655
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to lightweight armor having a durable spall cover for suppressing debris that would otherwise be ejected from the armor as a result of the impact of a projectile or missile on the lightweight armor.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Lightweight armors utilizing a hard strike face component such as a ceramic or ceramic matrix composite are susceptible to damage during use. In addition, these types of armors also eject spall (i.e., ceramic debris) from the front face upon being impacted by a projectile. The spall can be hazardous to surrounding personnel.
Prior art spall shields include nylon cloth, rubber, metal, or resin impregnated glass fabric bonded to the exterior surface of the armor (ceramic) or a resin film cured and formed to the outside of the armor. None of these prior art spall shields provide complete spall suppression and only provide a very limited amount of protection for the hard (ceramic) front component of the armor (e.g., if the armor is dropped onto a hard surface).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,967 (Tasdemiroglu) discloses a ballistic spall liner for military vehicles. It discloses a liner with multiple and repeating layers made of high tensile strength fabric and steel. The object of the invention is to prevent military personnel within a military vehicle from being injured by spall that is directed to them in the same general direction of the projectile.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,876,941 (Barnes et al.) discloses a composite for protection against armor-piercing projectiles. This patent discloses how to make a composite. It does not teach how to trap the spall created as a result of an impact on the composite by a projectile. U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,493 (Blommer et al.) discloses an explosive attenuating structure for use inside missiles and the like. U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,690 (Moskowitz) discloses a ballistic armor with a spall shield containing an outer layer of plasticized resin.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention uses a combination of materials to provide a unique level of high durability and high spall suppression not provided by the prior art.
The present invention allows the ceramic or ceramic-based composite armor panels to be dropped up to four feet onto a concrete surface with the ceramic face down and 40 pounds attached to the back face without any damage to the ceramic. Furthermore, the invention reduces spall (frontal ejection of ceramic/projectile debris) to a degree not obtained using the standard methods disclosed in the prior art that uses single or multiple plies of nylon fabrics (e.g., military specification fabric MIL-C-12369).
The present invention uses a spall cover to protect the impact face of light weight armor products from being damaged during normal use, and to protect damage to people or equipment if the armor is hit with a high-impact projectile or missile, such that debris is ejected from the front surface of the armor. The invention can be used as an insert to body armor, and the spall cover could also be used as an additional cover on any existing ceramic-based armor systems.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is a laminate comprising the following main layers: a hard polymer sheet outer layer, a flexible foam sheet or flexible honeycomb inner layer, an armor plate, and a fiber-reinforced plastic laminate backing, as well as adhesive layers bonding each of the main layers to its adjacent layer or layers.
The purpose of the invention is to provide complete spall suppression and durability for the ceramic armor. That is, no spall shall be ejected from the front surface of the armor, upon ballistic impact, with sufficient force to perforate an aluminum witness sheet. Also, the invention shall provide durability to the armor such that the armor will be capable of being dropped several times with the armor strike face down onto a concrete surface without causing significant damage to the armor, i.e., damage that would degrade the ballistic performance of the armor laminate. The principal use of the present invention is as a body armor insert, or with other protective shields used for personal protection.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide additional protection by reducing the injury and damage that would otherwise be caused by the ejection of spall from the front surface of armor.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a durable spall cover which protects the ceramic component in a lightweight armor system.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an effective lightweight cover for lightweight ceramic-based armor.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an impact-protection cover for the ceramic-based armor.
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American Society for Testing and Materials, Designation D 1056, “Standard Specification for Flexible Cellular Materials-Sponge or Expanded Rubber,” 1998.
Lyons Fielder Stanton
Mears Jeffrey Alan
Jordan Charles T.
Palo Francis T.
Pittman Shaw
Simula Inc.
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