TRANSPARENT REFRACTIVE INDEX MATCHED ARMOUR COMPOSITE

COMPOSITE D'ARMURE TRANSPARENT A CORRESPONDANCE D'INDICE DE REFRACTION

English Abstract

A transparent armor composite system for defeating firearms projectiles,
consisting of
transparent glass, glass-ceramic, or ceramic materials in small, spherical
segments,
bound by a refractive index-matched polymer resin. This composite matrix is
backed by
a transparent polymer spall shield and may have a transparent facing, as well
as air-
gap layers incorporated into the structure. The composite (TRIIVIACS:
Transparent
refractive Index-Matched Armor Composite System) offers the ballistic
performance of
glass/plastic laminate systems, with the non-ballistic damage resistance of
plastic/plastic
transparent armor laminates. Multi-hit capability is also improved over other
transparent armor systems.

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Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A transparent composite structure for defeating firearms projectiles, said
composite
structure consisting of spherical segments of transparent glass, transparent
glass-
ceramic, or transparent ceramic material bound by a transparent, polymeric
binder
(hereafter referred to as the 'matrix% with a transparent backing.

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2. A transparent composite structure according to claim 1, wherein spherical
segments
in the matrix are of the same size, or a heterogeneous mixture of sizes.
3. A transparent composite structure according to claim 1, wherein spherical
segments
are arrayed in a manner dictated by efficient tiling (i.e., with minimal 'dead
space'
between shapes).
4. A transparent composite structure (matrix) according to claim 1, wherein
the
transparent, polymeric, binder has the same refractive index as the spherical
segments.
5. A transparent composite structure according to claim 1, wherein the
transparent
backing is of a rigid polymer, or polymer laminate.
6. A transparent composite structure according to claim 1, wherein the strike
face may
be faced with a transparent polymer or polymer laminate.
7. A transparent composite structure according to claim 1, wherein polymeric
interlayers may be incorporated within the matrix.
8. A transparent composite structure according to claim 1, wherein an air-gap
layer, or
layers may be incorporated within the overall structure (i.e., within the
matrix, within the

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Description

TRIMACS (Transparent Refractive Index-Matched Armour Composite System) is a
damage-resistant, multi hit-capable composite armour concept. TRIMACS
incorporates
small spheres of a hard, transparent material (glass, or ceramic) in a polymer
matrix with
the same refractive index. TRIMACS can be adapted to use new, high-hardness
ceramic
technologies (sapphire, aluminum oxynitride, spinel, etc.) more economically
than with
monolithic transparent ballistic armour. Multi-hit capability comes from the
discontinuous nature of the composite (isolating ballistic impact damage); the
flexible
nature of the polymer binder resists non-ballistic damage, such as being
struck by rocks.
The composite can be formed into flat, curved, or hemispherical shapes.
Applications
would include faceshields, armoured vehicle vision blocks and other
transparent vehicle
armour.
TRIMACS would be fabricated commercially using a vacuum-infiltration process.
An
anti-spall backing (polycarbonate, or polyurethane) would comprise the inner
surface.
The actual TRIMACS matrix would consist of a refractive index-matched
inorganic/polymer combination (e.g., soda-lime glass and PMMA, borosilicate
glass and
PVB). An anti-scratch coating may be applied to the facing, atop an additional
layer of
polycarbonate, or polyurethane. Depending on the threat anticipated, the
TRIMACS layer
and backing could be increased in thickness. More exotic hard materials
(aluminum
oxynitride, etc.) could be used, where the threat warrants. Since producing
high-hardness
transparent ceramics in large, monolithic segments is extremely costly,
TRIMACS could
make their use economical, even for very large transparent armour components
such as
vehicle windshields.
The initial application for TRIMACS would be ballistic faceshields, for
military and
tactical police use. The resistance of TRIMACS to non-ballistic impacts
(dropping,
bumping against hard surfaces, etc.)¨along with ballistic performance superior
to
acrylic-polycarbonate laminates¨would make this an ideal market. Other
protective
eyewear, such as industrial safety goggles, could be candidates for TRIMACS
technology.
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-08-20