Composite armor plate and ceramic bodies for use therein

Abstract

The invention provides a composite armor plate for absorbing and dissipating kinetic energy from high-velocity projectiles, the plate comprising a single internal layer of pellets which are bound and retained in plate form by an elastic material, substantially internally within the elastic material, such that the pellets are bound in a plurality of spaced-apart rows and columns, the pellets being made of ceramic material, and the pellets being substantially fully embedded in the elastic material so that the pellets form an internal layer, wherein the solidified material and the plate are elastic, and wherein a majority of each of the pellets is in direct contact with six adjacent pellets in the same layer to provide mutual lateral confinement therebetween, each of the pellets being characterized by a body having a substantially regular geometric cross-sectional area and first and second end faces, each of the end faces projecting from the body and having an outwardly decreasing cross-sectional area wherein the height of the end face disposed substantially opposite to an outer impact receiving major surface of the plate is less than 15% of the length of the diameter of the pellet body from which it projects.

1 . A composite armor plate for absorbing and dissipating kinetic energy from high-velocity projectiles, said plate comprising a single internal layer of pellets which are bound and retained in plate form, each of said pellets being characterized by a body having a substantially regular geometric cross-sectional area and first and second end faces, each of said end faces projecting from said body and having an outwardly decreasing cross-sectional area wherein the height of the end face disposed substantially opposite to an outer impact receiving major surface of said plate is less than 15% of the length of the diameter of the pellet body from which it projects.  
   
   
       2 . A composite armor plate according to  claim 1 , wherein the height of the end face disposed substantially opposite to an outer impact receiving major surface of said plate is less than the height of the impact receiving end face.  
   
   
       3 . A composite armor plate according to  claim 1 , wherein the end face disposed substantially opposite to an outer impact receiving major surface of said plate is spherical.  
   
   
       4 . A composite armor plate according to  claim 3 , wherein said end-face is convexly curved and wherein the ratio D/R between the diameter D of the body of the pellet and the radius R of the curvature of said convexly curved end face is between about 0.28:1 and 0.639:1.  
   
   
       5 . A composite armor plate according to  claim 1 , wherein the end face disposed substantially opposite to an outer impact receiving major surface of said plate is in the form of an outwardly tapered truncated cone.  
   
   
       6 . A composite armor plate according to  claim 1  whenever used as ballistic protection for a rigid armor plate.  
   
   
       7 . A composite armor plate according to  claim 1 , wherein a majority of said pellets have at least one convexly-curved end face oriented to substantially face in the direction of an outer impact receiving major surface of said plate.  
   
   
       8 . A composite armor plate according to  claim 1 , wherein said pellets have at least one axis of at least 9 mm.  
   
   
       9 . A composite armor plate according to  claim 1 , wherein said pellets have at least one axis of at least 20 mm.  
   
   
       10 . A composite armor plate according to  claim 1 , wherein each of said pellets is formed of a ceramic material selected from the group consisting of sintered oxide, nitrides, carbides and borides of alumina, magnesium, zirconium, tungsten, molybdenum, titanium and silica.  
   
   
       11 . A composite armor plate according to  claim 1 , wherein each of said pellets is formed of a material selected from the group consisting of alumina, boron carbide, boron nitride, titanium diboride, silicon carbide, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, magnesium oxide, silicon aluminum oxynitride and mixtures thereof.  
   
   
       12 . A composite armor plate according to  claim 1 , wherein said solidified material and said plate are elastic.  
   
   
       13 . A composite armor plate according to  claim 1 , characterized in that a channel is provided in a plurality of said pellets to reduce the weight per area thereof.  
   
   
       14 . A composite armor plate according to  claim 13 , wherein said channel occupies a volume of up to 25% of said pellet.  
   
   
       15 . A composite armor plate for absorbing and dissipating kinetic energy from high-velocity projectiles, said plate comprising a single internal layer of pellets which are bound and retained in plate form by an elastic material, substantially internally within said elastic material, such that the pellets are bound in a plurality of spaced-apart rows and columns, said pellets being made of ceramic material, and said pellets being substantially fully embedded in the elastic material so that the pellets form an internal layer, wherein said solidified material and said plate are elastic, and wherein a majority of each of said pellets is substantially in direct contact with six adjacent pellets in the same layer to provide mutual lateral confinement therebetween, each of said pellets being characterized by a body having a substantially regular geometric cross-sectional area and first and second end faces, each of said end faces projecting from said body and having an outwardly decreasing cross-sectional area wherein the height of the end face disposed substantially opposite to an outer impact receiving major surface of said plate is less than 15% of the length of the diameter of the pellet body from which it projects.  
   
   
       16 . A pellet for use in a composite armor plate for absorbing and dissipating kinetic energy from high-velocity projectiles, said pellet being made of a ceramic material and said pellet being characterized by a substantially regular geometric cross-sectional area, and first and second end faces, each of said end faces projecting from said body and having an outwardly decreasing cross-sectional area wherein the height of the end face disposed substantially opposite to an outer impact receiving end face of said pellet is less than 15% of the length of the diameter of the pellet body from which it projects.  
   
   
       17 . A pellet for use in a composite armor plate for absorbing and dissipating kinetic energy from high-velocity projectiles according to  claim 13  wherein the height of the end face disposed substantially opposite to an outer impact receiving end face of said pellet is less than the height of the impact receiving end face.