IP Library Granted Patent US 8,245,620
Granted Patent B2
US 8,245,620 · App. 13/065,790 · Granted Aug 21, 2012

Low breaking strength vehicle and structure shield net/frame arrangement

Assignee: QinetiQ North America, Inc.
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,245,620
App. No.
13/065,790
Granted
Aug 21, 2012
Kind
B2
Abstract

A shield system for an ordnance having a fuse sensitivity includes a frame and a flexible net subsystem supported by the frame. Chords of net material intersect at nodes forming mesh openings and a hard point is attached to at least select nodes. The net material has a breaking strength such that a chord will break upon impact of an ordnance fuse with the chord for a predetermined percentage (e.g., 100%) of ordnance fuse impacts.

Claims (42)

1. A shield system for a given an ordnance having a fuse sensitivity, the system comprising:

a frame;

a flexible net subsystem supported by the frame and including:

lines of net material intersecting at nodes forming mesh openings,

a hard point attached to at least select nodes, and

the net line material having a breaking strength such that a line will break upon impact of the ordnance fuse with the line for a predetermined percentage of the ordnance fuse impacts.

2. The system of claim 1 in which the predetermined percentage is 100%.

3. The system of claim 1 in which the predetermined percentage is between 80% and 100%.

4. The system of claim 1 in which the net line material has a breaking strength of between 100 lbs and 1,000 lbs.

5. The system of claim 1 in which the hard points each include a post portion and a base portion with a cavity receiving the post portion therein.

6. The system of claim 1 in which each hard point includes:

a front face;

sidewalls extending rearward from the front face including slots therethrough for lines of a net;

a cavity surrounded by the sidewalls; and

a plug sized to be frictionally received in the cavity locking the lines of the net in the cavity.

7. The system of claim 6 in which the plug includes an outer wall with a knurled surface.

8. The system of claim 6 in which the front face has six sides and there are six sidewalls.

9. The system of claim 6 in which two opposing sidewalls have slots therethrough in the middle of the opposing sidewalls.

10. The system of claim 9 in which there is a slot between adjacent sidewalls on each side of said two opposing sidewalls.

11. The system of claim 6 in which the front face has an area of between 0.1 and 0.8 in. 2 .

12. The system of claim 6 in which the sidewalls each have an area of between 0.1 and 0.8 in. 2 .

13. The system of claim 6 in which the cavity is round and the plug is cylindrical in shape.

14. The system of claim 6 in which each hard point weighs between 10 and 40 grams.

15. The system of claim 6 in which the slots each terminate in a rounded portion.

16. The system of claim 1 in which the hard points include steel.

17. The system of claim 1 in which the hard points weigh between 10 and 80 grams.

18. The system of claim 1 in which the lines have a diameter of between 1.7 and 1.9 mm.

19. The system of claim 1 in which the mesh openings are between 110 mm and 190 mm.

20. A method of fabricating a shield system, the method comprising:

determining, for an ordnance, which net material has a breaking strength such that a net line will break upon impact of an ordnance fuse with a line for a predetermined percentage of ordnance fuse impacts;

selecting net material having a breaking strength such that a net line will break upon impact of an ordnance fuse with the line for the predetermined percentage of ordnance fuse impacts;

attaching hard points to the net; and

attaching the net to a frame.

21. The method of claim 20 in which the predetermined percentage is 100%.

22. The method of claim 20 in which the predetermined percentage is between 80% and 100%.

23. The method of claim 20 in which selecting includes choosing a net material with a breaking strength of between 100 lbs and 1,000 lbs.

24. A shield system for an ordnance having a fuse sensitivity, the system comprising:

a frame;

a flexible net subsystem supported by the frame and including:

lines of net material intersecting at nodes forming mesh openings,

a hard point attached to at least select nodes, and

the net material having a breaking strength based on a predetermined ordnance fuse sensitivity such that a line will break upon impact of said ordnance fuse with the line for a predetermined percentage of ordnance fuse impacts.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 2, 2014
From: QINETIQ NORTH AMERICA, INC.
To: FOSTER-MILLER, INC.
Reel/Frame 032807/0348 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 1, 2012
From: FOSTER-MILLER, INC.
To: QINETIQ NORTH AMERICA, INC.
Reel/Frame 027801/0506 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 30, 2011
From: FARINELLA, MICHAEL; LAWSON, WILLIAM; EBBS, MATTHEW
To: FOSTER-MILLER, INC.
Reel/Frame 026134/0652 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation In Part 12807532 · Sep 8, 2010
Provisional Application 61124428 · Apr 16, 2008
Related Publication 20110179944A1 · Jul 28, 2011