Tech Intell
Ballistic Shields
The Russian firm of Armokom-Tsentr, TsNIISM OOO NPP has released information on its design process for ballistic framing and in particular incorporation of ballistic protection in a personal shield. From appearances, the most likely users of this shield would be military law enforcement for crowd control or hostage-type situations.
The proposed method of producing the shield comprises creating stacked formations by laying facing layers of material impregnated with a synthetic binder onto the substrate, a layer of ceramic plates and ballistic layers impregnated with the same synthetic binder and made of aramide fabric. Once put together the shield is then processed under pressure to sure the binder and other agents to create the lightweight protective shield.
The ceramic plate layers are arranged in rows, the latter being shifted relative to each other by half a plate to form steps in the plates’ rows along the edges and to form peripheral zone with no plates. These plates are glued together, while the steps in the plate rows are filled with triangular ceramic plates glued therein. The peripheral zone appears to have no plates but is filled with aramide fabric ballistic layers impregnated with the binder. The fabric total thickness in this area exceeds that of the ceramic plate by 0.4 to 0.8 mm.
According to company documents, the main benefits to this design are “higher manufacturability” of the shields and a higher level of protection and “efficiency.”
Fragmenting-Bundle Shell
From MGTU imeni N.Eh. Baumana of Russia comes this version of a munition for either artillery or mortar applications with a warhead designed for maximum fragmentation and shrapnel effect. Two basic designs have been illustrated although both carry almost identical descriptions and one appears to be a mortar round while the other is an artillery projectile. What the company calls the fragmenting enclosure is filled with what appears to be ball-bearing-type segments. At the bottom of the fragmenting enclosure (tail-end of the artillery shell and mid-way down the mortar round) is a burster charge that is timed to detonate at a specific interval in relation to the primary explosion for maximum width of coverage.
Bar Armor
Medwell in the United Kingdom has released information on its vehicle bar armor design. According to company documents, “It is an aim of the invention to provide bar armor that can mitigate the threat from rocket propelled grenades to the same extent as the known bar armor without the considerable areal density of that armor.”
For manufacturing, the company expects that at least the majority of the bars would be formed from carbon fiber. Some of the bars, in particular vertical bars, of the grid, may be metallic, aluminum, for example. Thus the grid may consist of metallic vertical bars and horizontal carbon fiber bars. The carbon fiber bars may be pultruded and may extend through slots in the metallic bars.
The areal density of the grid can be less than about 20 kg/m2, e.g., less than about 15 kg/m2, and in particular 10–12 kg/m2, as compared with the known bar armor, having an areal density of about 40 kg/m2. ♦