Defensive, ceramic based, applique armor, device for providing anti-projectile armoring protection and process for producing ceramic based projectile armor with hollow geometry

Abstract

A device and process of forming a defensive, ceramic based, applique armor for covering and protecting a substrate which may be exposed to attack by projectiles, the applique armor having a flat or curved armor plate formed of ceramic material and having a first surface and a second surface; wherein the ceramic material being formed of silicon carbide with carbon fibers (C/SiC) and the ceramic material has a plurality of holes on at least one of the surfaces; the holes having a diameter smaller than an anticipated bullet or ammunition projectile and the holes being set obliquely relative to at least one surface, whereby the device and process provide holes formed by press molding, boring, drilling, or combinations thereof.

1 . A defensive, ceramic based, applique armor for covering and protecting a substrate which may be exposed to attack by projectiles, the applique armor comprising:
 a flat or curved armor plate formed of ceramic material and having a first surface and a second surface;   said ceramic material being formed of silicon carbide with carbon fibers (C/SiC);   said ceramic material having a plurality of holes on at least one of said surfaces;   said holes having a diameter smaller than an anticipated bullet or ammunition projectile;   said holes being set obliquely relative to said at least one surface; and   said holes formed by press molding, boring, drilling, or combinations thereof.   
     
     
         2 . The defensive ceramic based armor of  claim 1 , which further comprises a thin skin layer or multiple layers increasing a maintainability or protecting ability of the applique armor. 
     
     
         3 . The defensive ceramic based armor of  claim 1 , wherein the ceramic based armor is constructed and configured for covering a substrate and for inhibiting an intrusion of ammunition and ammunition based projectiles. 
     
     
         4 . The defensive ceramic based armor of  claim 2 , wherein said thin skin layer is positioned externally, internally, or internally and externally to the armor. 
     
     
         5 . A device for providing anti-projectile armoring protection to a substrate, the device comprising:
 a defensive applique or integral armor;   means for affixing said defensive applique or integral armor the substrate;   said defensive applique or integral armor including a flat or curved armor plate composed of silicon carbide with carbon fibers forming a C/SiC plate and one or more layers, applied externally, internally, or internally and externally to said C/SiC plate;   said C/SiC plate increasing a protecting ability of said armor and having a predetermined thickness and a plurality of holes;   said holes being sufficiently small to prevent a projectile from passing through; and   said holes being set obliquity to absorb kinetic energy by friction and impact.   
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 5  which further comprises a thin layer increasing maintainability or protecting ability of said armor. 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 5 , which further comprises a backing layer, a disruptive layer, and an adhesive layer disposed between said backing layer and said a disruptive layer. 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 5 , wherein said armor defines a stand-off distance between said applique and the substrate. 
     
     
         9 . A process for producing fiber-reinforced ceramic material with a plurality of hollow channels, the process comprising the following steps:
 producing cores having a shape corresponding to that of the hollow channels;   introducing the cores to produce a green body by combining the cores with a press molding compound into a press molding mold;   the press molding compound containing one or more of carbon fibers, carbon threads, pitch, resins or combinations thereof;   the press molding compound forming carbon-containing residues upon heat treatment in a non-oxidizing atmosphere configured to cause a position of the cores to correspond to a desired position of the hollow channels;   curing the green body by heating to a temperature of from 120° C. to 280° C. under pressure;   carbonizing the cured green body by heating in a non-oxidizing atmosphere to a temperature of from about 750° C. to about 1 100° C. with the carbonizing forming a carbon-carbon, C/C, body; and   the cores, after the carbonizing step, being formed of a material melting without decomposition at a temperature above a curing temperature of shaping by pressing the press molding compound.   
     
     
         10 . The process as claimed in  claim 9 , which further comprises, subsequent to the carbonizing step, infiltrating the C/C body with liquid metal in which retention of shape occurs, with at least partial reaction of the carbon present in the matrix of the C/C body with the metal to form carbides. 
     
     
         11 . The process as claimed in  claim 9 , which further comprises using meltable materials for the cores being pyrolyzed in a process in which no substantial residue is present at a temperature above their melting point. 
     
     
         12 . The process as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein any residue remaining after the pyrolysis of the meltable material for the core is not more than 10% w/w. 
     
     
         13 . The process as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the press molding compound contains carbon fibers having a mean length of at least 5 mm, the fibers functioning as a reinforcing material. 
     
     
         14 . The process as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the press molding compound is introduced into the mold in such a way that carbon fibers are predominantly oriented parallel to the direction of the highest tensile stress in the resulting shaped part. 
     
     
         15 . The process as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the press molding compound contains carbon fibers in the form of coated short fiber bundles as reinforcing material. 
     
     
         16 . The process as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the press molding compounds include pitches selected from among coal tar pitch, petroleum pitch, curable resins, and combinations thereof, and the crucible resins being selected from phenolic resins, epoxy resins, polyimides, filler-containing mixtures with furfuryl alcohol, furan resins and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         17 . The process as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the core material has a linear coefficient of thermal expansion up to its decomposition temperature of not more than 5×10″ 6  K″ 1 . 
     
     
         18 . The process as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the material for the core is a thermoplastic polymer having a heat distortion temperature according to ISO 75A of at least 80° C. and a Brinell hardness of at least 30 MPa. 
     
     
         19 . The process as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the material for the core is a filler-containing thermoplastic polymer in which the mass fraction of fillers is at least 15%. 
     
     
         20 . The process as claimed in  claim 9 , which further comprises selecting fillers from chalk, glass spheres, glass microspheres, wollastonite, glass fibers, carbon fibers, ceramic fibers and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         21 . The process as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the material for the core is a filler-containing thermoplastic polymer having fillers including oxidants acting as pyrolysis accelerators. 
     
     
         22 . The process as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the material used for the core is a formed thermoplastic. 
     
     
         23 . The process as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the material used for the core is a low-melting metal. 
     
     
         24 . The process as claimed in  claim 23 , wherein the low-melting metal alloys have melting points below 300° C. 
     
     
         25 . The process as claimed in  claim 23 , wherein the low-melting alloys are based on the metals Al, Zn, Cu, Bi, Pb, Sn, Fe, Sb and Si. 
     
     
         26 . The process as claimed in  claim 23 , wherein the low-melting alloys are selected from bismuth and bismuth alloys, tin alloys and Zn/Mg/Al/Cu alloys.