Ordnance – Shields – Body
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-09
2001-01-09
Eldred, J. Woodrow (Department: 3644)
Ordnance
Shields
Body
C002S002500, C002S463000, C002S464000, C002S456000, C428S098000, C428S221000, C428S573000, C428S911000, C156S256000, C156S257000, C029S464000, C029S466000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06170378
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to protective wear. More specifically, the invention relates to flexible body armor designed to defeat high-velocity projectiles.
(2) Background
Advances in body armor are frequently related to development of improved materials from which the armor is formed. In recent years, ballistic resistant materials formed from high tensile strength fibers, such as aramid fibers or polyethylene fibers, have gone into common use in the field. Unfortunately, soft body armor, even with these advanced materials, has proven insufficient to thwart even armor-piercing pistol ammunition, sharp thrusting implements, and circular penetrators, all of which are now in common use.
To address this problem, various hard metal plating systems have been developed. One such system employs a number of titanium discs one inch in diameter and 0.032-0.050 inches in thickness laid out in overlapping rows such that in the interior of a row, a disk overlaps its predecessor in the row and is overlapped by its successor in the row. Subsequent rows overlap their predecessor and are overlapped by their successor. The coin layout is then attached to a substrate such as adhesive impregnated aramid fabric. A second layer of adhesive impregnated aramid may be used to envelope the “plate” formed by the coins. This enveloped plate can be attached to conventional soft body armor over vital organs. It provides good flexibility and is thin enough to conceal.
While this overlapping of the coins has been shown to spread the force effectively to defeat most existing armor-piercing pistol rounds, sharp thrusting implements, and circular penetrators, unfortunately, rifle rounds continue to tear through this plating structure, as well as the underlying soft body armor like a hot knife through butter. Thus, for protection from rifle rounds, users have been required to employ large rigid plates to shield the vital organs. These large plates are heavy and inflexible, and generally uncomfortable to use. Additionally, they are next to impossible to use in a concealed manner. Efforts to employ the coin design with thicker disks have failed to yield a commercially viable product to defeat rifle rounds. Thicker disks result in less flexibility and do not lay out well. The result is a plating structure thicker, no more flexible, and heavier than the solid plates discussed above. Wearer comfort is also a premium concern in body armor production. Accordingly, these limitations make such a structure impractical as a commercial product.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to have a flexible armoring system that would defeat high-velocity projectiles, such as rifle rounds.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A method and apparatus for defeating high-velocity projectiles is disclosed. A plurality of disks of equal size and having a thickness greater than 0.100″ are milled in a plurality of places. Each milled place having a radius of curvature approximately equal to the radius of curvature of the disk. The disks are then laid out in an imbricated pattern row by row such that each disk in a row is in substantially a straight line with the other disks in the row and overlaps a milled place of a disk in a row above its row and has its milled place overlapped by a disk in the row below its row. The imbricated pattern is then adhered to a flexible, high tensile strength substrate and overlaid by a second high tensile strength layer such that the imbricated pattern is enveloped between the substrate and the second layer. The envelope is then coupled to a soft body armor backing.
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X-2 Promotional Materials, Alan Bain, Jan. 1996.
Bain Allan D.
Neal Murray L.
Blakely Sokoloff Taylor and Zafman
Eldred J. Woodrow
Neal Murray L.
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