Ballistic armor panel system

Abstract

In ballistic attenuation a strike plate including a base armor plate having an outwardly facing surface, and a hard layer deposited on the base armor plate to substantially overlay the outwardly facing surface. In embodiments a ballistic attenuation assembly is provided having multiple sheets of a first fibrous material and a sheet of a second fibrous material laminated together by a modified epoxy resin with the first sheet of a second fibrous material being exposed along an outward facing surface. In embodiments a ballistic attenuation assembly is provided having a first panel having opposed inward and outward facing surfaces, a second panel having opposed inward and outward facing surfaces and a spacer interposed between the first and the second panels forming a gap between the inward facing surfaces of the first and second panels.

1 . A ballistic armor strike face panel, comprising:
 a base armor plate having an outwardly facing surface;   a hard layer deposited on said base armor plate to substantially overlay said outwardly facing surface; and   wherein said hard layer is characterized by being comprised of a material containing between 5.0 wt % and 7.0 wt % of carbon, a maximum of 2.0 wt % of manganese, a maximum of 2.0 wt % of silicon, between 25.0 wt % and 35.0 wt % of chromium, and a maximum of 3.0 wt % of molybdenum, and further wherein said hard layer is deposited on said base armor plate in plurality of welded strips of said material.   
     
     
         2 . The ballistic armor strike face panel of  claim 1 , wherein said material is chromium carbide in an austenitic matrix. 
     
     
         3 . The ballistic armor strike face panel of  claim 1 , wherein said base armor layer is mild steel. 
     
     
         4 . The ballistic armor strike face panel of  claim 1 , wherein said hard layer is further characterized by said welded strips formed by an open arc MIG welding process with a weld wire size of a minimum of 0.110 inches being automatically traversed across said strike surface while said weld wire is oscillated back and forth. 
     
     
         5 . The ballistic armor strike face panel of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a second hard layer deposited on said base armor plate to substantially overlay said hard layer; and   wherein said second hard layer is characterized by being comprised of a matrix material with a particulate material disperse throughout said matrix material, and wherein said matrix material contains between 5.0 wt % and 7.0 wt % of carbon, a maximum of 2.0 wt % of manganese, a maximum of 2.0 wt % of silicon, between 25.0 wt % and 35.0 wt % of chromium, and a maximum of 3.0 wt % of molybdenum, and said particulate material is tungsten carbide of a mesh size between 16 and 24.   
     
     
         6 . An armor panel assembly, comprising:
 multiple sheets of a first fibrous material and a sheet of a second fibrous material laminated together by a modified epoxy resin with said first sheet of a second fibrous material being exposed along an outward facing surface;   and wherein said sheet of a second fibrous material is a sheet of peel ply.   
     
     
         7 . The armor panel assembly of  claim 6 , wherein at least one sheet of said multiple sheets of a first fibrous material is a sheet of glass fiber. 
     
     
         8 . A ballistic energy dispersion assembly, comprising:
 a first panel having opposed inward and outward facing surfaces;   a second panel having opposed inward and outward facing surfaces;   a spacing means interposed between said first and said second panels forming a gap between said inward facing surfaces of said first and second panels;   said first panel is constructed of multiple layers of sheets of a fibrous material laminated together; and   said second panel is constructed of multiple layers of sheets of a fibrous material laminated together.   
     
     
         9 . The ballistic energy dispersion assembly of  claim 8 , wherein said gap is continuous between said facing surfaces of said first and said second panels. 
     
     
         10 . The ballistic energy dispersion assembly of  claim 8 , wherein said spacing means comprises:
 a plurality of separate ring structures positioned within said gap and in contact with said inward facing surfaces of said first and said second panels.   
     
     
         11 . The ballistic energy dispersion assembly of  claim 10 , wherein each of said plurality of separate ring structures comprises:
 an outer ring having interior peripheral edge; and   an inner ring having an outer peripheral edge, said inner ring positioned within said outer ring with said outer peripheral edge spaced from said interior peripheral edge.   
     
     
         12 . The ballistic energy dispersion assembly of  claim 11 , wherein:
 said outer ring and said inner ring are comprised of an elastomeric material having a durometer of between 30 to 70 on the A scale.   
     
     
         13 . The ballistic energy dispersion assembly of  claim 8 , wherein:
 said multiple layers of sheets of a fibrous material of said first panel are each sheets of a glass fiber; and   said multiple layers of sheets of a fibrous material of said second panel are each sheets of a glass fiber.   
     
     
         14 . The ballistic energy dispersion assembly of  claim 8 , wherein said spacing means comprises:
 a body of an open cell metal foam.   
     
     
         15 . The ballistic energy dispersion assembly of  claim 14 , wherein said open cell metal foam is an open cell nanocystralline Ni—Fe alloy foam. 
     
     
         16 . The ballistic energy dispersion assembly of  claim 15 , wherein said open cell metal foam has a metal grain size between 5 nm and 100 nm. 
     
     
         17 . A ballistic armor system comprising:
 a forwardly positioned strike face panel, wherein said strike face panel comprises a base armor plate having an outwardly facing surface; a hard layer deposited on said base armor plate to substantially overlay said outwardly facing surface; wherein said hard layer is characterized by being comprised of a material containing between 5.0 wt % and 7.0 wt % of carbon, a maximum of 2.0 wt % of manganese, a maximum of 2.0 wt % of silicon, between 25.0 wt % and 35.0 wt % of chromium, and a maximum of 3.0 wt % of molybdenum, and further wherein said hard layer is deposited on said base armor plate in plurality of welded strips of said material;   an intermediately positioned armor panel assembly, wherein said armor panel assembly comprises multiple sheets of a first fibrous material and a sheet of a second fibrous material laminated together by a modified epoxy resin with said first sheet of a second fibrous material being exposed along an outward facing surface; and wherein said sheet of a second fibrous material is a sheet of peel ply; and   a rearwardly positioned energy dispersion assembly, wherein said energy dispersion assembly comprises a first panel having opposed inward and outward facing surfaces; a second panel having opposed inward and outward facing surfaces; a spacing means interposed between said first and said second panels forming a gap between said inward facing surfaces of said first and second panels; said first panel is constructed of multiple layers of sheets of a fibrous material laminated together; and said second panel is constructed of multiple layers of sheets of a fibrous material laminated together.   
     
     
         18 . The ballistic armor system of  claim 17 , wherein said strike face panel further comprises:
 a second hard layer deposited on said base armor plate to substantially overlay said hard layer; and   wherein said second hard layer is characterized by being comprised of a matrix material with a particulate material disperse throughout said matrix material, and wherein said matrix material contains between 5.0 wt % and 7.0 wt % of carbon, a maximum of 2.0 wt % of manganese, a maximum of 2.0 wt % of silicon, between 25.0 wt % and 35.0 wt % of chromium, and a maximum of 3.0 wt % of molybdenum, and said particulate material is tungsten carbide of a mesh size between 16 and 24.   
     
     
         19 . The ballistic armor system of  claim 17 , wherein said gap is continuous between said facing surfaces of said first and said second panels of said energy dispersion assembly. 
     
     
         20 . The ballistic armor system of  claim 19 , wherein said spacing means comprises:
 a plurality of separate ring structures positioned within said gap and in contact with said inward facing surfaces of said first and said second panels.   
     
     
         21 . The ballistic armor system of  claim 20 , wherein each of said plurality of separate ring structures comprises:
 an outer ring having interior peripheral edge; and   an inner ring having an outer peripheral edge, said inner ring positioned within said outer ring with said outer peripheral edge spaced from said interior peripheral edge.   
     
     
         22 . The ballistic armor system of  claim 21 , wherein:
 said outer ring and said inner ring are comprised of an elastomeric material having a durometer of between 30 to 70 on the A scale.