Armor panel system

Abstract

An armor panel system has a strike face assemblage formed of a hard material layer of discrete elements or tiles and a fiber reinforcement bonded to the tiles. The fiber reinforcement includes a layer of cup-shaped staples aligned and bonded to an inner surface of an associated tile and having legs that extend into gaps between side edges of adjacent tiles. The tiles and fiber reinforcement are encapsulated in a matrix material. The armor panel system also includes a support and containment assemblage having a support plate and a containment element. The containment element is fastened to and supported by the support plate along a periphery by stitching, which allows the containment element to act as a net to catch and contain fragments. A bonding layer joins the strike face assemblage and the support and containment assemblage. The bonding layer includes a mesh embedded in an adhesive material.

1 . A reinforced strike face assemblage for an armor panel system, the strike face comprising:
 a layer of discrete tiles, each of the tiles comprising an outer surface and an inner surface and side edges, the tiles arranged in a pattern with the side edges contiguous to present an outer strike surface, the tiles comprised of a hard material; and   a fiber reinforcement bonded to the inner surface of at least some of the tiles, the fiber reinforcement comprising at least a first layer of cup-shaped staples aligned in parallel and bonded to the inner surface of an associated tile, the aligned staples having legs that extend at least partially into gaps between the side edges of adjacent tiles.   
     
     
         2 . The reinforced strike face assemblage of  claim 1 , wherein the fiber reinforcement of the strike face assemblage comprises a further plurality of cup-shaped staples bonded to the inner surface of the at least one of the tiles, the further plurality of cup-shaped staples aligned in parallel and oriented at an angle to the plurality of cup-shaped staples. 
     
     
         3 . The reinforced strike face assemblage of  claim 1 , wherein the fiber reinforcement comprises aramid fibers, carbon fibers, E-glass fibers, S-glass fibers, or twisted metal wires embedded in a resin. 
     
     
         4 . The reinforced strike face assemblage of  claim 1 , wherein the fiber reinforcement is bonded to the layer of tiles with a matrix material comprised of a thermoset resin, an epoxy resin, an unsaturated polyester resin, a urethane resin, a methacrylate-based resin, a thermoplastic resin, polypropylene, polyethylene, polycarbonate, polyvinylchloride, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polyetherimide, polyetheretherketone, acrylic, or polystyrene. 
     
     
         5 . The reinforced strike face assemblage of  claim 4 , wherein the matrix material encapsulates the fiber reinforcement and the tiles. 
     
     
         6 . The reinforced strike face assemblage of  claim 1 , wherein the fiber reinforcement further comprises a fiber or wire material wrapped around the side edges of the tiles. 
     
     
         7 . The reinforced strike face assemblage of  claim 1 , wherein the hard material layer comprises ceramic, silicon carbide, alumina, boron carbide, granite, or stone. 
     
     
         8 . The reinforced strike face assemblage of  claim 1  wherein the pattern comprises a staggered pattern. 
     
     
         9 . The reinforced strike face assemblage of  claim 1 , wherein the outer surfaces of the tiles are arranged to form a plane, a curved surface, or a faceted surface. 
     
     
         10 . The reinforced strike face assemblage of  claim 1 , wherein the tiles are square, rectangular, or hexagonal. 
     
     
         11 . An armor panel system including the reinforced strike face assemblage of  claim 1  and further comprising:
 a support and containment assemblage comprising a support plate and a containment element, the containment element fastened to and supported by the support plate along a periphery; and 
 a bonding layer joining the strike face assemblage and the support and containment assemblage.