Stressed skin tiled vehicle armor
Vehicle armor includes a body panel of the vehicle having a stressed skin construction with an inside surface and an outside surface. A liner overlies the inside surface of the body panel and a particle-filled elastomer overlies the outside surface of the body panel. Thin, single-layer steel tiles overlie the elastomer layer, with the tiles each having a hardened outer side and a non-hardened inner side.
1. A stressed-skin, tiled, vehicle armor, comprising:
a body panel comprising a stressed-skin construction and having an inside surface and an outside surface;
a spall liner comprising an aramid fiber material overlying the inside surface of the body panel;
a particle-filled elastomer bonding layer overlying the outside surface of the body panel; and
a plurality of single-layer tiles overlying the elastomer bonding layer, the tiles each having a hardened side and a non-hardened side.
2. The vehicle armor of claim 1 wherein the body panel is formed from an aluminum alloy.
3. The vehicle armor of claim 1 wherein the hardened side of the tiles are carburized.
4. The vehicle armor of claim 1 wherein the hardened side of the tiles are boronized.
5. The vehicle armor of claim 1 wherein the hardened side of the tiles is achieved through a diffusion process, a coating process, or a mechanical working process.
6. The vehicle armor of claim 1 wherein the elastomer is a piezoelectric elastomer.
7. The vehicle armor of claim 1 wherein the tiles comprise a carbon steel material.