Ferro electro magnetic armor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9291432-B2
Application number	US-201113818332-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 24, 2011
Priority date	Aug 24, 2010
Publication date	Mar 22, 2016
Grant date	Mar 22, 2016

Abstract

A gas producing device comprising a ferroelectric (FEG) or ferromagnetic (FMG) generator material wrapped by a conductor, wherein the conductor is in contact with a dielectric material. A ferroelectric or ferromagnetic generator material is polarized or magnetized. When a shock wave impacts the FEG or FMG, the polarization or magnetization of the material is rapidly destroyed. The rapid destruction of the magnet by breaking it into small pieces causes the magnetic field to go to zero very quickly. When the field changes quickly it induces a high current through the wrapped conductor or coil. When the current passes through the conductor in contact with the dielectric material it generates heat and vaporizes the dielectric material creating a high pressure gas. A reactive armor may comprise the gas producing device, wherein the high pressure gas moves one or more armor plates to defeat an anti-armor threat.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gas producing device comprising a ferroelectric or ferromagnetic generator material wrapped by a conductor, wherein the conductor is also in contact with a dielectric material,
wherein the ferroelectric or ferromagnetic generator material produces a magnetic flux,
wherein the conductor is wrapped around the ferroelectric or ferromagnetic generator material in a manner that an enclosed magnetic flux is parallel or near parallel to a normal vector component of an area encompassed by the wrapped conductor.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the ferroelectric or ferromagnetic generator material is selected from lead zirconate titanate and neodymium iron boride.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the dielectric is selected from poly(methyl methacrylate), polypropylene, polyurethane, polyethylene, and polyoxymethylenes.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the conductor is a wire.

5. A reactive armor that comprises the device of claim 1 .

6. The reactive armor of claim 5 , wherein the armor comprises two armor plates on opposite sides of the gas producing device.

7. The reactive armor of claim 6 , wherein the conductor is wrapped around the ferroelectric or ferromagnetic generator material so that upon a hard impact the ferroelectric or ferromagnetic generator material is depolarized, the current generated by the depolarization of the ferroelectric or ferromagnetic generator material is transmitted to the dielectric material whereby the dielectric material is vaporized, producing a high pressure gas.

8. The reactive armor of claim 7 , wherein one or both of the armor plates are able to move under the influence of the high pressure gas produced upon the hard impact.

9. The reactive armor of claim 7 , wherein when the hard impact is caused by an anti-armor threat one or both of the armor plates move under the influence of the high pressure gas, one or both of the armor plates move across the line-of-sight of the anti-armor threat, imparting a force vector anti-parallel to the anti-armor threat's velocity vector.

10. The reactive armor of claim 7 , wherein when the hard impact is caused by an anti-armor threat one or both of the armor plates move under the influence of the high pressure gas, one or both of the armor plates move across the line-of-sight of the anti-armor threat, continually presenting undisturbed material into the line-of-sight of the anti-armor threat.

11. The reactive armor of claim 7 , wherein when the hard impact is caused by an anti-armor threat one or both of the armor plates move under the influence of the high pressure gas, one or both of the armor plates move across the line-of-sight of the anti-armor threat, disrupting the structural integrity of the anti-armor threat.

12. The reactive armor of claim 7 , wherein the armor comprises a ceramic armor plate, wherein the ceramic armor plate is confined by the high pressure gas.

13. The reactive armor of claim 5 , wherein the armor comprises at least one ceramic armor plate.

14. The reactive armor of claim 5 , wherein the armor comprises a ceramic armor plate, wherein the ceramic armor plate is confined by the gas produced by the gas producing device.

15. The reactive armor of claim 5 , wherein the armor comprises a glass armor plate, wherein the glass armor plate is confined by the gas produced by the gas producing device.

16. A method for rapidly generating gas comprising the steps of:
a) providing a device comprising a ferroelectric or ferromagnetic generator material wrapped by a conductor, wherein the conductor is also in contact with a dielectric material,
wherein the ferroelectric or ferromagnetic generator material produces a magnetic flux,
wherein the conductor is wrapped around the ferroelectric or ferromagnetic generator in a manner that the enclosed magnetic flux is parallel or near parallel to the normal vector component of the area encompassed by the wrapped conductor;
b) depolarizing a ferroelectric or ferromagnetic generator material, whereby the depolarized ferroelectric or ferromagnetic generator material produces a current; and
c) the current generates heat in a dielectric material, whereby the dielectric material is vaporized.

17. A method of defeating an anti-armor threat comprising the steps of:
an anti-armor threat hitting a reactive armor, whereby the impact depolarizes a ferroelectric or ferromagnetic generator material, whereby the depolarized ferroelectric or ferromagnetic generator material produces a current; and
the current generates heat in a dielectric material, whereby the dielectric material is vaporized producing a high pressure gas; and
the gas produced causes at least one armor plate to move the anti-armor threat.

Assignees

• Fisher Michael L
• Battelle Memorial Institute

Inventors

• Fisher Michael L

Classifications

• F41H5/007 Primary

  Reactive armour; Dynamic armour · CPC title