U.S. patent application number 12/430079 was filed with the patent office on 2010-10-28 for balistic jacket and protective panels system.
Invention is credited to Lilo Ben-Zicron.
Application Number | 20100269237 12/430079 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42990742 |
Filed Date | 2010-10-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100269237 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ben-Zicron; Lilo |
October 28, 2010 |
Balistic Jacket and Protective Panels System
Abstract
A light weight body armor is constructed from offset layers of
mosaic like panels. The panels are formed from woven material made
from volcanic black rock. The panels are light weight and strong,
and the woven material is less expensive than know materials used
to construct body armor.
Inventors: |
Ben-Zicron; Lilo; (West
Toluca Lake, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
AVERILL & GREEN
8244 PAINTER AVE.
WHITTIER
CA
90602
US
|
Family ID: |
42990742 |
Appl. No.: |
12/430079 |
Filed: |
April 25, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/2.5 ; 89/36.02;
89/36.05 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F41H 1/02 20130101; F41H
5/0471 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
2/2.5 ; 89/36.02;
89/36.05 |
International
Class: |
F41H 1/02 20060101
F41H001/02 |
Claims
1. Body armor comprising: a top protective layer comprising: a
flexible material; and a mosaic of close fitting panels set to the
flexible material to allow the protective layer to assume the shape
of a wearer, the panels comprising: a top and a bottom plate; and a
lay-up of layers of inorganic material and resin, the inorganic
material made from volcanic black rock; a first layer of impact
foam under the top protective layer; and a layer of woven material
under the impact foam.
2. The body armor of claim 1, wherein the panels are a lay-up of
layers of a weave of inorganic material, and resin.
3. The body armor of claim 1, wherein the panels are octagonal.
4. The body armor of claim 1, wherein the panels are hexagonal.
5. The body armor of claim 1, further including a second layer of
impact foam under the layer of woven material.
6. The body armor of claim 1, wherein the flexible material is a
mesh made from an inorganic weave of fibers made from volcanic
black rock.
7. The body armor of claim 1, further including a second protective
layer between the top protective layer and the top layer of impact
foam, the second protective layer having the same construction as
the top protective layer, wherein the two protective layers are
offset from each other to overlap the panels of the layers to cover
voids between adjacent panels.
8. The body armor of claim 7, wherein the panels are a lay-up of
layers of a weave of inorganic material, and resin.
9. The body armor of claim 7, wherein the woven material comprises
a shock resistant layer of multiple layers of woven inorganic
fibers.
10. The body armor of claim 9, wherein the woven material comprises
a shock resistant layer of multiple layers of woven inorganic
fibers
11. The body armor of claim 7, further including a second layer of
impact foam under the layer of woven material from volcanic black
rock.
12. The body armor of claim 7, wherein the flexible material is a
mesh made from an inorganic weave of fibers made from volcanic
black rock.
13. Body armor comprising: top and second protective layers
comprising: a flexible material; and a mosaic of close fitting
panels set to the flexible material, the panels comprising: a top
and a bottom plate; and a lay-up of layers of inorganic material
and resin, the inorganic material made from volcanic black rock; a
top layer of impact foam under the top protective layer; and a
layer of woven material under the impact foam.
14. The body armor of claim 13, wherein the panels are a lay-up of
layers of a weave of inorganic material, and resin.
15. The body armor of claim 13, wherein the panels are
octagonal.
16. The body armor of claim 13, wherein the panels are
hexagonal.
17. The body armor of claim 13, further including a second layer of
impact foam under the layer of woven material.
18. The body armor of claim 13, wherein the flexible material is a
mesh made from an inorganic weave of fibers made from volcanic
black rock.
19. Body armor comprising: a top and second protective layer
comprising: a flexible material comprising a mesh made from an
inorganic weave of fibers made from volcanic black rock; and a
mosaic of close fitting octagonal panels set to the flexible
material, the panels comprising: a top and a bottom plate; and a
lay-up of layers of inorganic material and resin, the inorganic
material made from volcanic black rock; a second protective layer
under the top protective layer having the same construction as the
top protective payer, wherein the two protective layers are offset
from each other to overlap the panels of the layers to cover voids
between adjacent panels. a top layer of impact foam under the
second protective layer; a layer of woven material under the top
layer impact foam; a second layer of impact foam under the layer of
woven material; and a bottom protective layer under the second
layer of impact foam and having the same construction as the top
protective layer.
20. The body armor of claim 19, wherein the woven material
comprises a shock resistant layer of multiple layers of woven
inorganic fibers.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to body armor and in
particular to body armor constructed from material made from black
volcanic rock.
[0002] Military and law enforcement personnel often must place
themselves in locations where hostile gun fire may be experienced.
Their missions often require that they cannot maintain cover
providing individual protection. Body armor is commonly warn is
such situations. Three levels of body armor are commonly known.
Level I body armor is suitable to protect the wearer against low
velocity pistol bullets, for example, 38 special at up to 850 Feet
Per Second (FPS) and 22 at up to 1.050 FPS. Level II body armor is
suitable to protect the wearer against 9 mm Full Metal Jacket (FMJ)
at up to about 1.090 FPS and 357 Magnum Jacketed Soft Point (JSP)
bullets at up to 1,250 FPS. Level III--A body armor is suitable to
protect the wearer against 9 mm FMJ at up to 1,400 FPS (this may be
from 9 mm sub machine gun or +P ammunition having much higher
chamber pressure than common 9 mm ammunition) and 44 Magnum Semi
Wadcutter (SWC) bullets at up to 1,400 FPS. Level III body armor is
suitable to protect the wearer against standard military rifle
ammunition such as the NATO 7.62 by 51 mm ammunition. While known
body armor has been certified up to Level III, such body armor is
expensive, heavy, and bulky. Therefore, a needs remains for better
and less expensive body armor.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention addresses the above and other needs by
providing a light weight body armor which is constructed from
offset layers of mosaic like panels. The panels are formed from
woven material made from volcanic black rock. The panels are light
weight and strong, and the woven material is less expensive than
know materials used to construct body armor.
[0004] In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is
provided body armor comprising protective layers formed from a
mosaic of small panels. The body armor includes top and second
protective layers, a second protective layer under the top
protective layer, a top layer of impact foam under the top
protective layer, a layer of woven material under the impact foam,
a second layer of impact foam under the layer of woven material and
a bottom protective layer including a flexible material and a
mosaic of close fitting octagonal panels set to the flexible
material. The top and second protective layers includes a flexible
material and a mosaic of close fitting octagonal panels set to the
flexible material, the panels comprising a top and a bottom plate
and a lay-up of layers of inorganic material and resin, the
inorganic material made from volcanic black rock. The second
protective layer under the top protective layer and including two
protective layers offset from each other to overlap the panels of
the layers to cover voids between adjacent panels.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
[0005] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the
present invention will be more apparent from the following more
particular description thereof, presented in conjunction with the
following drawings wherein:
[0006] FIG. 1A is a front view of a ballistic vest made from
ballistic material according to the present invention.
[0007] FIG. 1B is a side view of the ballistic vest made from the
ballistic material according to the present invention.
[0008] FIG. 2A shows a front view of a single layer of a mosaic
pattern of panels according to the present invention for forming
the ballistic material according to the present invention.
[0009] FIG. 2B shows a side view of the single layer of the mosaic
pattern of panels according to the present invention for forming
the ballistic material according to the present invention.
[0010] FIG. 3A shows a front view of one of the panels according to
the present invention used for forming the ballistic material
according to the present invention.
[0011] FIG. 3B shows a side view of one of the panels according to
the present invention used for forming the ballistic material
according to the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 4A shows a front view a protective layer of overlapped
mosaic patterns of panels according to the present invention for
forming the ballistic material according to the present
invention.
[0013] FIG. 4B shows an edge view the protective later formed of
the overlapped mosaic patterns of panels according to the present
invention for forming the ballistic material according to the
present invention.
[0014] FIG. 5 Shown a cross-sectional view of a level I ballistic
material according to the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 6 Shown a cross-sectional view of a level III ballistic
material according to the present invention.
[0016] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding
components throughout the several views of the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0017] The following description is of the best mode presently
contemplated for carrying out the invention. This description is
not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the
purpose of describing one or more preferred embodiments of the
invention. The scope of the invention should be determined with
reference to the claims.
[0018] A front view of a ballistic vest 10 made from ballistic
material 12 according to the present invention is shown in FIG. 1A
and .a side view of the ballistic vest 10 is shown in FIG. 1B. The
ballistic vest 10 is designed to protect vital organs of a wearer
without overly encumbering the wearer. The ballistic vest 10
includes shoulders 14 on each side of a neck opening 16, and arm
cutouts 18. The ballistic vest 10 may be constructed using
different embodiments of the ballistic material 12, as described
below, to provide different levels of protection to the wearer. The
ballistic material 12 may be worn exposed to view, or may be worn
inside a garment concealed from view.
[0019] A front view of a single layer of mosaic pattern of panels
20 bonded to a mesh backing 24 for forming a protective layer 13
according to the present invention is shown in FIG. 2A, a side view
of the protective layer 13 is shown in FIG. 2B, a front view of one
of the panels 20 according to the present invention used for
forming the protective layer 13 is shown in FIG. 3A, and a side
view of one of the panels 20 is shown in FIG. 3B. The panels 20 are
octagonal, but maybe other shapes, for example, hexagonal, square,
triangular, and the like, and the protective layer 13 may be formed
from panels having different shapes. In the case of octangular
panels 20, small voids 22 result between the panels 20. The panels
20 are preferably arranged to limit vertical, horizontal, and/or
diagonal gaps G between adjacent edges of the panels 20 to be less
than 0.1 inches.
[0020] The panels 20 are formed from a core 28 of layers of woven
inorganic material, set with epoxy resin, and sandwiched between
plates made from. An example of a suitable material for the plates
is aluminum or the like. The preferred woven inorganic material is
sold by Barotex Technology Corporation under the trademark BAROTEX.
For example, the core 28 may comprise layers of 6 ounce 3 by 1
twill unsized woven BAROTEX.RTM. material set with epoxy resin.
BAROTEX.RTM. material is made from volcanic black rock and is
described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,223,708 for "Inorganic Fabric" issued
to the inventor of the present invention and incorporated herein in
its entirety by reference. The core 28 preferably comprises between
30 and 40 layers of woven inorganic material, and more preferably
between 35 and 40 layers of woven inorganic material, and the epoxy
resin is preferably a high impact epoxy resin, for example,
Parabond # 5130 or a similar resin made by Para-Chem Inc. in
Simpsonville, S.C.
[0021] The core 28 is manufactured by pressing the layers of woven
inorganic material together under between 300 and 400 Pound per
Square Inch (PSI) and preferably under approximately 350 PSI and
the core 28 is preferably between 3/16 and 5/16 inches thick and is
more preferably approximately 1/4 inches thick. The core 28 is
preferable post cured for approximately two hours at approximately
475 degrees Fahrenheit to obtain full strength. Plates 26a and 26b
are attached to opposite faces of the core 28 by fasteners (e.g.,
bolts), by setting in an autoclave, or by pressing and curing in a
pressurized oven. The panels 28 may be manufactured as large plates
and then after setting and/or curing, cut to a final size, for
example, hexagonal in shape and approximately two inches across,
although other shapes such as squares or triangles may also be
utilized.
[0022] The panels 20 are bonded to a thin layer of mesh to allow
the protective layer 13 to fit a wearer and to move with a wearer.
The mesh 24 is preferably a mesh of inorganic material and more
preferably a mesh of inorganic material made from volcanic black
rock, and most preferably a mesh made from BAROTEX.RTM. material.
The mesh 24 is preferably approximately 0.05 inches thick to
separate consecutive layers of the plates 20 to allow the resulting
ballistic material to flex.
[0023] A front view of overlapped protective layers 30 formed by
overlapped protective layer 13a and 13b is shown in FIG. 4A and an
edge view of the overlapped protective layers 30 is shown in FIG.
4B. The protective layers 13a and 13b are overlapped to leave no
gap greater than the gaps G between adjacent edges of the panels 20
(see FIG. 2A).
[0024] A cross-sectional view of a level I ballistic material 36
according to the present invention is shown in FIG. 5 and a
cross-sectional view of a level III ballistic material 38 according
to the present invention is shown in FIG. 6. The level I ballistic
material 36 is formed from two overlapping protective layer 13a and
13b, followed by a first layer of impact foam 32a, for example,
Advantic.TM. syntactic foam made by Cornerstone Research Group in
Dayton, Ohio or a similar product, followed by a shock and
deflection layer, for example, a layer of woven material 34,
followed by a second layer of impact foam 32b. The level III
ballistic material 38 adds a third protective layer 13c following
the second layer of impact foam 32b. Layers of impact foam 32a and
32b are preferably approximately 1/4 inches thick. The layer of
woven material 34 is preferably a shock resistant layer of multiple
layers of woven inorganic fibers, and more preferably a layer of
multiple layers of woven BAROTEX.RTM. material. The thickness of
the layer of woven material 34 is dependent upon the level of
protection required. For example, in the level I ballistic material
36, the layer of woven material 34 may comprise six or more layers
of woven material 34, and in the level III ballistic material 38,
the layer of woven material 34 is preferably a lay-up of six or
more layers of six ounce woven inorganic fibers, and more
preferably a lay-up of six or more layers of six ounce woven
BAROTEX.RTM. material. The layers of impact foam 32a and 32b is
preferably sown through to retain the layer of woven material 34 in
position between the layers of impact foam 32a and 32b.
[0025] A layer of polymer is applied between each of the layers of
the ballistic materials 36 and 38 to bond consecutive layers and to
hold the fibers together while providing flexibility. The polymer
layer is very flexible and thus allows the ballistic material to
easily flex. An example of a suitable polymer is Tankskin.RTM.
spray-on polymer made by Armor Systems International in Chatsworth,
Calif.
[0026] While the invention herein disclosed has been described by
means of specific embodiments and applications thereof, numerous
modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled
in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set
forth in the claims.
* * * * *