Integrated detachable ballistic shield

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10414497-B2
Application number	US-201715704114-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 14, 2017
Priority date	Sep 14, 2016
Publication date	Sep 17, 2019
Grant date	Sep 17, 2019

Abstract

A lightweight shield for aircraft protection against threat of high energy impacts, which comprises, a structural layer that has a first side and a second side, the first side being intended for receiving the impact, and a ballistic material layer for absorbing high energy impacts, having a first side and a second side. The first side of the ballistic material layer is faced to the second side of structural layer and joined to the structural layer via a progressively detachable interface and, the second side of the ballistic material layer is a free surface.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A lightweight shield for aircraft protection against threat of high energy impacts, comprising:
a structural layer having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is intended for receiving the impact,
a ballistic material layer for absorbing high energy impacts, having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side of the ballistic material layer is faced to the second side of structural layer and joined to said structural layer by means of a progressively detachable interface, and the second side of the ballistic material layer is a free surface,
wherein the progressively detachable interface is selected from the group consisting of a peel ply layer, a non-stick release film layer, and combinations thereof,
wherein the ballistic material layer comprises a small amount of resin diffused from the structural layer through a plurality of discrete detachable joint points of the interface.

2. A lightweight shield according to claim 1 , wherein the ballistic material layer is at least a layer comprising dry high strength and high deformation fibers, wherein dry fibers are those fibers free of resin or with a small amount of resin, such that said small amount of resin allows fibers to elongate under impact without a cross-interference between them.

3. A light weight shield according to claim 1 , wherein the structural layer is a carbon fiber laminate which comprises a resin matrix.

4. A light weight shield according to claim 3 , wherein the resin matrix of the carbon fiber laminate is a thermoplastic resin matrix.

5. A light weight shield according to claim 3 , wherein the resin matrix of the carbon fiber laminate is a thermostable resin matrix.

6. A lightweight shield according to claim 1 , wherein the progressively detachable interface is a patterned layer.

7. A lightweight shield according to claim 6 , wherein the patterned layer is a hexagonal patterned layer.

8. A lightweight shield according to claim 4 , wherein the ballistic material layer comprises a small amount of resin diffused from the structural layer of carbon fiber laminate through a plurality of discrete detachable joint points of the interface, said plurality of discrete detachable joint points being thermoplastic resin joint points.

9. An aircraft comprising a lightweight shield for protection against threat of high energy impacts according to claim 1 .

10. The aircraft according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one lightweight shield is located:
in the fuselage of the aircraft, or
in the empennage skin of the aircraft, or
in the wings of the aircraft, or
in the internal and/or external case engine of the aircraft, or
in any combination of them.

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Sl

Inventors

• Vélez De Mendizábal Alonso Iker
• Martino González Esteban
• García Nieto Carlos
• Menard Edouard
• Guinaldo Fernández Enrique
• Crespo Peña Soledad
• Vázquez Castro Jesús Javier

Classifications

• B32B2323/10

  Polypropylene · CPC title

• B64C1/12

  Construction or attachment of skin panels · CPC title

• B64D45/00 Primary

  Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B32B27/00

  Layered products comprising {a layer of} synthetic resin {(fibrous or filamentary layer made of a synthetic resin B32B5/02; particulate layer made of a synthetic resin B32B5/16; foamed layer made of a synthetic resin B32B5/18)} · CPC title

• B32B2371/00

  Polyethers, e.g. PEEK, i.e. polyether-etherketone; PEK, i.e. polyetherketone · CPC title