Ballistic armor

Abstract

According to an embodiment, a ballistic structure comprises a front pellet layer configured to face a ballistic threat and rear pellet layer therebehind, each of the pellet layers comprising a plurality of pellets, which can be made of a ceramic material, having cylindrical bodies with their height axes in both layers being substantially parallel to each other, the pellets being arranged in a honeycomb pattern within a binder matrix, the pellet layers being codisposed such that all interior spaces (i.e., spaces which are surrounded on all sides by pellets) of each pellet layer are entirely overlapped by an area of the other pellet layer that is free of such spaces, the two layers being by an intermediate layer having such a width and being made of such a material as to allow the rear layer to rigidly support the front layer.

1 . A ballistic structure, comprising:
 a front pellet layer configured to face a ballistic threat; and   a rear pellet layer positioned behind the front pellet layer, each of the front and rear pellet layers comprising a plurality of pellets having cylindrical bodies with their height axes in both of the front and rear pellet layers being substantially parallel to each other, the plurality of pellets being arranged in a honeycomb pattern within a binder matrix, the front and rear pellet layers being codisposed such that all interior spaces of each of the front and rear pellet layers are entirely overlapped by an area of the other pellet layer that is free of the interior spaces, the front and rear pellet layers being spaced by an intermediate layer having a width and being made of a material so as to allow the rear pellet layer to rigidly support the front pellet layer.   
     
     
         2 . The ballistic structure according to  claim 1 , wherein some of the plurality of pellets in each of the front and rear pellet layers are in contact with adjacent ones of the plurality of pellets of the same layer. 
     
     
         3 . The ballistic structure according to  claim 1 , wherein the intermediate layer is configured to provide structural confinement to the front and rear pellet layers. 
     
     
         4 . The ballistic structure according to  claim 1 , wherein the front and rear pellet layers and the intermediate layer are within a single binder matrix. 
     
     
         5 . The ballistic structure according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the front and rear pellet layers are within a binder matrix separate from that which the other of the layers is within. 
     
     
         6 . The ballistic structure according to  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pellets are made from a ceramic material. 
     
     
         7 . The ballistic structure according to  claim 1 , wherein centers of pellets in each of the front and rear pellet layers overlap with points of contacts of pellets in the other of the pellet layers. 
     
     
         8 . The ballistic structure according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the front and rear pellet layers is offset, relative to the other of the front and rear pellet layers, along a row thereof by a distance substantially equal to one half of the diameter of one of the plurality of pellets. 
     
     
         9 . The ballistic structure according to  claim 1 , wherein the intermediate layer is made of ballistic fabric or metal or the material of the binder matrix. 
     
     
         10 . The ballistic structure according to  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pellets are made of a transparent material. 
     
     
         11 . The ballistic structure according to  claim 10 , wherein the binder matrix is made of a transparent material. 
     
     
         12 . An armor module comprising the ballistic structure according to  claim 1 , and further comprising a casing enclosing the ballistic structure at least along sidewalls thereof extending between external surfaces of the armor module that are substantially parallel to the front and rear pellet layers. 
     
     
         13 . The armor module according to  claim 12 , further comprising at least one backing layer. 
     
     
         14 . An armor assembly comprising a plurality of the armor modules according to  claim 12 , wherein the plurality of the armor modules are arranged such that projecting portions of adjacent ones of the plurality of the armor modules overlap one another. 
     
     
         15 . A vehicle comprising a plurality of the armor modules according to  claim 12 . 
     
     
         16 . A vehicle comprising one or more of the ballistic structures according  claim 1 . 
     
     
         17 . A vehicle comprising the armor assembly according to  claim 14 . 
     
     
         18 . A method for producing the ballistic structure according to  claim 1 , the method comprising:
 providing a front fabric layer and plurality of pellets;   arranging the front fabric layer in the form of a cavity having a generally horizontal bottom and generally vertical side walls;   arranging some of the plurality of pellets in the cavity on the generally horizontal bottom to form a front pellet layer;   arranging other of the plurality of pellets on top of the front pellet layer to form a rear pellet layer; and   applying binder material to the plurality of pellets and the fabric layers in such a way so as to substantially simultaneously form a matrix, which constitutes with the plurality of pellets the ballistic structure, and to bind the front layer thereto.   
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 18 , wherein the matrix is formed by heating and/or applying pressure to the binder matrix. 
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 18 , further comprising introducing an intermediate layer between at least a portion of the front and rear pellet layers.