Composite enclosure for explosive reactive armor and methods of manufacturing the same

Abstract

An explosive reactive armor (ERA) enclosure for an ERA tile includes a bottom and a plurality of sidewalls extending from the bottom, where the plurality of sidewalls are continuous with each other and with the bottom so as to define an internal volume. The plurality of sidewalls are formed from a fiber-reinforced composite material having a plurality of plies of fiber sheet material. Additionally, a sidewall seam defined by abutting edges of the first ply is offset from a sidewall seam defined by abutting edges of the second ply. Methods of manufacturing ERA enclosures, including applying wrap layers and forming attachment structures for securing the fiber-reinforced composite ERA enclosure to an armor element, are also described. The composite enclosure is inexpensive and lightweight and improves the dynamic capabilities of armored vehicles using such ERA tiles.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.