Armored vehicle with blast deflecting hull

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an armored vehicle that includes a frame supported by one or more wheels, a hull affixed to the frame having a generally diamond shaped vertical cross section, the hull including: a plurality of armored panels; one or more bullet proof windows; and an air intake designed to prevent debris from entering an engine compartment, wherein the generally diamond shape of the hull deflects energy from sources that are not normal to a hull surface away from the hull to minimize damage to the hull.

1 . An armored vehicle comprising: 
 a hull having a generally diamond shaped vertical cross section, the hull comprising a plurality of armored panels; and    one or more blast plates affixed to an exterior of the hull, wherein the generally diamond shape of the hull deflects energy from sources that are not perpendicular to a hull surface away from the hull to minimize damage to the hull.    
   
   
       2 . The armored vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of armored panels have a multi-layered construction.  
   
   
       3 . The armored vehicle of  claim 2 , wherein a first layer of the armored panel is steel or a suitable metal alloy and a second layer of the armored panel is a textile designed to prevent the sprawling of the first layer resulting from an impact.  
   
   
       4 . The armored vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the plurality of armored panels are disposed on an undercarriage of the armored vehicle.  
   
   
       5 . The armored vehicle of  claim 1 , further comprising an air intake designed to prevent debris from entering an engine compartment of the armored vehicle.  
   
   
       6 . The armored vehicle of  claim 5 , wherein the air intake includes an exterior layer and an interior layer each comprising a plurality of armored cross bars and a plurality of horizontal openings, wherein the armored cross bars on the exterior layer are disposed in front of the horizontal openings on the interior layer and the horizontal openings on the outer layer are disposed in front of the armored cross bars on the interior layer.  
   
   
       7 . The armored vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein a gap is disposed between the one or more blast plates and the hull of the armored vehicle, the gap sufficient for venting blast forces emanating from beneath the hull.  
   
   
       8 . An armored vehicle hull comprising: 
 a lower portion including a first and second lower armored panel, wherein the first and second lower armored panels are disposed at an angle ranging from approximately twenty-five degrees to seventy-five degrees from vertical; and    a upper portion including a first and second upper armored panel, wherein the first and second upper armored panel are disposed at an angle ranging from approximately twenty-five degrees to seventy-five degrees from vertical.    
   
   
       9 . The armored vehicle of  claim 8 , further comprising an air intake located on a front of the armored vehicle designed to prevent debris from entering an engine compartment of the armored vehicle, wherein a shape of the armored hull deflects energy from sources that are not normal to a hull surface away from the hull to minimize damage to the hull.  
   
   
       10 . The armored vehicle of  claim 8 , wherein the first and second lower and upper armored panels have a multi-layered construction.  
   
   
       11 . The armored vehicle of  claim 10 , wherein a first layer of the armored panels are steel or a suitable metal alloy and a second layer of the armored panels are a textile designed to prevent the sprawling of the first layer resulting from an impact.  
   
   
       12 . The armored vehicle of  claim 8 , wherein the air intake includes an exterior layer and an interior layer each comprising a plurality of armored cross bars and a plurality of horizontal openings, wherein the armored cross bars on the exterior layer are disposed in front of the horizontal openings on the interior layer and the horizontal openings on the outer layer are disposed in front of the armored cross bars on the interior layer.  
   
   
       13 . The armored vehicle of  claim 8 , further comprising one or more blast plates mounted on an exterior surface of the armored hull, wherein the blast plates at least partially cover at least a portion of the plurality of the wheels.  
   
   
       14 . The armored vehicle of  claim 13 , wherein the one or more blast plates are mounted on the exterior surface of the armored hull such that a gap exists between the one or more blast plates and the exterior surface.  
   
   
       15 . The armored vehicle of  claim 13 , wherein the one or more blast plates are mounted on the exterior surface of the armored hull with a plurality of blast-away bolts that are designed to allow the one or more blast plates to separate from the armored hull as a result of sufficient blast forces.  
   
   
       16 . A multi-layered armored panel comprising: 
 a first layer constructed of steel;    a second layer disposed on an interior surface of the first layer, the second layer constructed of an textiles suitable to prevent spalling of the first layer; and    a third layer disposed on an interior surface of the second layer, the third layer constructed of a ceramic material.    
   
   
       17 . The multi-layered armored panel of  claim 16 , wherein the second layer is directly disposed on the first layer.  
   
   
       18 . The multi-layered armored panel of  claim 17 , wherein an open space layer is provided between the second layer and the third layer.