RO131810B1 - Mine-protection system for armoured vehicle - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a solution to protect a vehicle and its occupants following the detonation of an explosive charge in the vicinity of the vehicle. Vehicles can be wheeled or tracked, armored personnel carriers, tactical vehicles, combat vehicles, logistics vehicles or tanks.

The detonation of a mine in the vicinity of the armored vehicle causes a shock wave that leads to vibrations, overpressures and shocks inside the vehicle, structural deformations or even rupture of the armored casing and the penetration of explosive products into the passenger compartment, these actions seriously affecting the personnel in the vehicle.

There are known worldwide systems for reducing the effects of explosions on armored vehicles that perform mine protection using basically the following methods:

- by the use of absorbent materials - the application of materials that absorb energy through plastic deformation, such as metal foams or honeycomb or sandwitch structures (http://www.niras.dk/forretningsomraader/infrastructure/~/media/files/niras- dk/infrastructure/pdf/crushmat-a-new-technology-for-protection-against-explosions.ashx, http://www.rheinmetall-chempro.com/media/editormedia/chempro/unternehmen/brochure AMAP product family.pdf );

- by deflecting the shock wave - they redirect the shock wave of the explosion towards the protected structure. This is a method used on current generation V-shaped floor vehicles (http://www.revaamoredvehicles.com/ REVAcombatEcperience.pdf , http://www.casr.ca/bg-apv-dingo. htm).

A protective structure of an armored vehicle against the effects of mine explosions is described in the invention patent PL 217974 B1 and is based on a series of individual perforated panels mounted under a supporting frame (chassis), distributed along its entire length. The support frame is attached, by means of suspensions, to the self-supporting body of the vehicle whose rigid lower part is V-shaped. The individual perforated panels, made of a material with high plastic deformability, are arranged between the cross members of the chassis and have a central part with a reduced breaking strength so as to absorb part of the blast shock wave by breaking the central part and deformation around the support frame spars. The energy of the primary shock wave passing through the perforations of the panels and the energy released after the plastic deformation of the panels are directly transferred to the rigid V-shaped lower part of the vehicle shell, which thus constitutes the main mine protection.

Patent application EP 2275773 A2 describes a mine protection system for the flat floor of a vehicle composed of an armored panel, possibly layered, having two side wings bent upwards around the side edges of the vehicle floor, mounted on a series of U profiles by means of which the fixing under the floor of the vehicle is also carried out. The bending edges of the armored panel are reinforced with additional longitudinal tubes interspersed between the U profiles.

Patent US 8640592 B1 describes a system for deflecting the pressure generated by an explosion, in particular attached to the armored floor of a vehicle. The armored floor can be formed from various combinations of layered protective materials.

The disadvantages of these solutions consist in the fact that obtaining a high level of mine protection is obtained by substantially increasing the mass of the vehicle, as well as by reducing the ground clearance or, under the conditions of maintaining the ground clearance, by increasing the height of the vehicle and implicitly the height of the center of gravity. mass with direct implications on vehicle mobility (acceleration and deceleration times, longitudinal and transverse slope approach).

The technical problem that the present invention solves is to achieve an increased mine protection1 for the personnel in the vehicle without a significant increase in the mass of the vehicle but with the maintenance of the ground clearance and the overall height of the vehicle.3

For this purpose, the following is pursued:

- the distance of the protected area (passenger) from the center of the explosion; 5

- disruption of the shock wave trajectory;

- protecting the area of interest from fragments carried by the explosion; 7

- absorption of the shock wave and dissipation in the mass of the vehicle;

- the distribution of deformations at the level of the entire lower part of the armored box. 9 The proposed solution consists in obtaining a combined effect of reducing the destructive effects of the detonation (explosion) of an explosive charge (mine) as follows: 11

- moving the protected area (passenger) away from the center of the explosion, by abandoning the classic solution of a self-supporting armored box, specific to classic armored personnel carriers (in which all the engine, transmission, personnel elements are inside) and adopting a solution with a separate chassis in which the transmission elements are outside the armored box and the armored box 15 is mounted on top of the chassis. The solution ensures a ground clearance and vehicle height identical to those with a reduced level of mine protection; 17

- disrupting the trajectory of the shock wave, by using a perforated shield, located on the lower part of the chassis, which ensures a reduction of the effects of the explosion by breaking 19 the front of the shock wave;

- protecting the area of interest from the fragments carried by the explosion, by interposing 21 transmission elements (distribution boxes, transmission shafts) and a shock-absorbing and anti-splinter plate, between the mine and the passenger compartment; 2. 3

- absorbing the shock wave and dissipating it in the mass of the vehicle, by attaching the armored box to the chassis by means of elastic supports that also allow an adjustment of the total height of the vehicle;

- the distribution of deformations at the level of the entire lower part of the armored box by 27 attaching inside the protected area (above the main armor) some transverse profiles connected to each other by means of some longitudinal profiles. 29

The advantages that the present invention brings consist of:

- high survivability in case of mine explosion; 31

- reduced mass of the vehicle;

- raised ground clearance without increasing the height of the vehicle with implications on the capacity33 of boarded transport (especially aircraft) and not least on the ability to mask in the visible field;35

- high mobility in operating theatres.

An example of the invention is illustrated in the drawings, which represent: 37 - fig. 1, top isometric view of mine protection system for a wheeled armored vehicle;39

- fig. 2, bottom isometric view of mine protection system for wheeled armored vehicle.41

Components list:

SP - perforated shield; 43

SS - chassis;

SR - reinforced structure; 45

PA - anti-skid plate;

SE - elastic supports; 47

- armor steel plate;

- transverse profiles;

- longitudinal profiles;

- elements of the transmission;

- reinforcement;

- spar.

The mine protection system for the armored vehicle according to the invention is composed of a perforated shield SP, chassis SS, a reinforced structure SR, anti-splinter plate PA and elastic supports SE.

The SP perforated shield, which has the role of significantly reducing deformations and pressures (by fragmenting and deflecting the incident shock wave) at the level of the armored box, is fixed (by means of screws or other fastening systems) to the bottom of the SS chassis and is made of armor steel with a high elongation at break or multi-layer aramid cloth or high-pressure polyethylene protected against high temperature action.

In a preferred embodiment, the cutouts of the perforated shield SP consist of a sequence along the longitudinal axis of a series of central ellipses, with the large axis oriented transversely, framed between two identical lateral half-ellipses in the mirror, with the aim of disrupting the wave of incident shock, as well as avoiding the appearance of shrapnel resulting from the rupture of the SP perforated shield.

The reinforced structure SR constitutes the lower part of the armored box and is fixed to the chassis SS by means of elastic supports SE. Between the SR reinforced structure and the SS chassis there is a space that allows the partial evacuation, to the side, of the products resulting from the mine explosion.

The reinforced structure SR is composed of an armor steel plate 1 on top of which (inside the armored box) are attached transverse profiles 2 connected to each other by means of longitudinal profiles 3. The profile of the armor steel plate 1, obtained by bending, allows installation of transmission elements 4 and redirects the shock wave of the explosion to the side, due to the angle of inclination.

The ends of the transverse profiles 2 are provided with an additional reinforcement 5.

An aluminum-based alloy or other light metal plate can be attached to the exterior of the SR reinforced structure that allows for a large relative elongation.

On the outside of the SR reinforced structure, between the spars 6, the anti-splinter plate PA made of multilayer aramid cloth or high-pressure polyethylene protected against the action of high temperature is attached.

The PA anti-shrapnel plate attached to the outside of the SR reinforced structure ensures the reduction of the effects of the impact of fragments driven by the explosion.

The fastening of the SR reinforced structure to the chassis is achieved by means of SE elastic supports that also allow an adjustment of the overall height of the vehicle.

Claims (9)

1. Mine protection system for an armored vehicle with a separate chassis 3 (SS), the system comprising an armored box mounted on top of the chassis (SS), spaced by means of elastic supports (SE), and a perforated shield (SP) located on the lower part of the chassis (SS), characterized in that the perforated shield (SP) consists of a single piece and is arranged along the entire length and width of the chassis (SS), the transmission elements 7 (4) located outside of the armored box are arranged between the perforated shield (SP) and a reinforced structure (SR) which constitutes the lower part of the armored box and which consists of a 9 armor steel plate (1) with a horizontal central part, located above the chassis ( SS), and two side parts bent up, forming a transverse profile of an open trapezoidal shape 11, without a large base, on top of the armor steel plate being attached some transverse profiles (2) connected to each other by means of longitudinal profiles ( 3), and on the outside 13 of the reinforced structure (SR), between the two struts (6) of the chassis (SS), an anti-splinter plate (PA) is attached. 15 2. Mine protection system for an armored vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that each of the ends of the transverse profiles (2) is secured 17 with a reinforcement (5). 3. Anti-mine protection system for an armored vehicle according to claims 1 or 19 2, characterized in that the reinforced structure (SR) has an aluminum-based alloy plate or another light metal with high elongation at break attached to the outside. 21 4. Anti-mine protection system for an armored vehicle according to claims 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the perforated shield (SP) is made of armor steel with 23 relative elongation at break. 5. Mine protection system for an armored vehicle according to claims 1, 2 25 or 3, characterized in that the perforated shield (SP) is made of multilayer aramid cloth.27 6. Anti-mine protection system for an armored vehicle according to claims 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the perforated shield (SP) is made of highly pressed polyethylene 29 protected against the action of high temperature. 7. Anti-mine protection system for an armored vehicle according to any of 31 claims 1-6, characterized in that the anti-splinter plate (PA) is made of multilayer aramid cloth.33 8. Anti-mine protection system for an armored vehicle according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that the anti-splinter plate (PA) is made of 35 high-pressure polyethylene protected against the action of high temperature. 9. Mine protection system for an armored vehicle according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that the armored vehicle can be a wheeled or tracked vehicle.39