Hard armor composite
A hard armor composite includes a rigid facing and a ballistic fabric backing. The fabric backing is carried by the facing, and includes an array of bundled high-performance fibers. The fibers have a tensile strength greater than 7 grams per denier and a denier per filament ratio of less than 5.4.
1. A hard armor composite, comprising:
(a) a rigid facing;
(b) a lightweight ballistic fabric backing carried by said facing, and comprising an array of bundled high-performance fibers, said fibers having a tensile strength greater than 7 grams per denier and a denier per filament ratio of less than 5.4, and said fabric backing comprising a plurality of overlying fabric layers, and said fabric backing and said rigid facing having a combined thickness of less than 0.900-inches, and wherein a thickness of said fabric backing comprises greater than 60% of the combined thickness of said fabric backing and said rigid facing;
(c) said hard armor composite having an areal density not greater than 5.1 psf; and
(d) means for adhering said fabric backing to said facing, said means for adhering being selected from a group consisting of a polymer film, an epoxy adhesive, a polysulfide adhesive, a polyurethane adhesive, a phenolic adhesive, a polyester adhesive, a polyvinyl butyral adhesive, a polyolefin adhesive, and a vinyl ester adhesive.
2. A hard armor composite according to claim 1 , wherein said fabric layers are laminated under heat and pressure to form a unitary ballistic structure.
3. A hard armor composite according to claim 1 , wherein said facing is constructed of a material selected from the group consisting of ceramic, steel, glass, aluminum, titanium, and graphite.
4. A hard armor composite according to claim 1 , wherein said high-performance fibers are selected from the group consisting of aramid, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), poly {p-phenylene-2, 6-benzobisoxazole} (PBO), and poly {diimidazo pyridinylene (dihydroxy) phenylene} (M5).
5. A hard armor composite according to claim 1 , wherein said rigid facing comprising a generally flat, continuous monolithic plate.
6. A hard armor composite, comprising:
(a) a rigid facing;
(b) a lightweight ballistic fabric backing carried by said facing, and comprising an array of bundled high-performance fibers, said fibers having a tensile strength greater than 7 grams per denier and a denier per filament ratio of less than 5.4, and said fabric backing comprising a plurality of overlying fabric layers, and said fabric backing and said rigid facing having a combined thickness of less than 0.900-inches, and wherein a thickness of said fabric backing comprises greater than 60% of the combined thickness of said fabric backing and said rigid facing;
(c) said hard armor composite having an areal density not greater than 5.1 psf.
7. A hard armor composite according to claim 6 , wherein said fabric layers are laminated under heat and pressure to form a unitary ballistic structure.
8. A hard armor composite according to claim 6 , wherein said facing is constructed of a material selected from the group consisting of ceramic, steel, glass, aluminum, titanium, and graphite.
9. A hard armor composite according to claim 6 , wherein said high-performance fibers are selected from the group consisting of aramid, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), poly {p-phenylene-2, 6-benzobisoxazole} (PBO), and poly {diimidazo pyridinylene (dihydroxy) phenylene} (M5).
10. A hard armor composite according to claim 6 , wherein said rigid facing comprising a generally flat, continuous monolithic plate.
11. A hard armor composite, comprising:
(a) a ceramic facing; and
(b) a lightweight ballistic fabric backing carried by said facing, and comprising an array of bundled high-performance fibers, said fibers having a tensile strength greater than 7 grams per denier and a denier per filament ratio of no more than 2.0, and said fabric backing comprising a plurality of overlying fabric layers, and said fabric backing and said ceramic facing having a combined thickness of less than 0.900-inches, and wherein a thickness of said fabric backing comprises greater than 60% of the combined thickness of said fabric backing and said rigid facing; and
(c) said hard armor composite having an areal density not greater than 5.1 psf.
12. A hard armor composite according to claim 11 , wherein said ceramic facing comprises a material selected from the group consisting of boron carbide, silicon carbide, titanium diboride, aluminum nitride, silicon nitride, sintered silicon carbide, sintered silicon nitride, and aluminum oxide.
13. A hard armor composite according to claim 11 , and comprising means for adhering said fabric backing to said ceramic facing.
14. A hard armor composite according to claim 13 , wherein said means for adhering comprises a polymer film.
15. A hard armor composite according to claim 13 , wherein said means for adhering comprises an adhesive selected from the group consisting of an epoxy adhesive, a polysulfide adhesive, a polyurethane adhesive, a phenolic adhesive, a polyester adhesive, a polyvinyl butyral adhesive, a polyolefin adhesive, and a vinyl ester adhesive.
16. A hard armor composite according to claim 11 , wherein said ceramic facing comprises a generally flat, continuous monolithic plate.
17. A hard armor composite according to claim 11 , wherein said high-performance fibers are selected from the group consisting of aramid, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), poly {p-phenylene-2, 6-benzobisoxazole} (PBO), and poly {diimidazo pyridinylene (dihydroxy) phenylene} (M5).
18. A hard armor composite according to claim 11 , wherein said fabric layers are laminated under heat and pressure to form a unitary ballistic structure.