Light armor improvement
AssigneeRockwell International Corporation
InventorFrederick T. McQuilkin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A structural armor assembly including a superplastically formed sandwich member having on one side one face sheet of high toughness, high-strength titanium alloy material, and on the other side a second face sheet made of non-superplastically formable metal matrix composite abrasive material. Abrasive materials in the form of "KEVLAR".RTM. or "SPECTRA".RTM. are provided inside cells in the sandwich member to serve as a "catcher's mitt" to absorb part or all of the energy of the ballistic fragments after they have been abraded by the material of the second face sheet.
Claims22
A structural armor component, comprising:
- first and second sheets secured on opposite sides of a truss core member, said truss core member and one of said face sheets comprising a high toughness, high strength titanium alloy, and said second face sheet comprising a non-superplastic formable metal matrix composite material, and
- woven abrasive materials disposed within interior cells of said truss core member for eroding and disintegrating a projectile which has entered the interior of said truss core member,
- both said first and second face sheets being diffusion bonded to said truss core member.
A structural armor assembly, comprising:
- a first puncture-resistant sheet,
- a second puncture-resistant sheet in facing relationship to said first sheet,
- a cellular element disposed between said first and second sheets, and
- means, disposed in cells in said cellular element, for deterring passage of a projectile, which has penetrated one sheet, through said cellular element,
- said deterring means comprising abrasive laminate materials for eroding and disintegrating said projectile.
A structural armor member, comprising:
- a superplastically formed core member,
- projectile-abrading means bonded to said core member and forming a sandwich therewith, and
- woven energy-absorbing materials secured within cells within said core member for absorbing energy of projectile fragments after they have been abraded by said projectile-abrading means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.