This invention provides, in some aspects, for devices and methods for protecting a sensitive structure against large explosive warhead containing weaponry, whereby a protective apparatus is positioned to be facing an anticipated impact direction at a spacing from said sensitive structure, wherein said apparatus detonates the weapon while absorbing the impact of the explosive warhead containing weaponry.

A tile to be used in an arrangement of identical tiles of an armor, the tile including an obverse face, a reverse face opposite the obverse face, and an endless edge between the obverse face and the reverse face, the endless edge being defined by a plurality of peripheral boundaries connected by curved sections, wherein the obverse face includes a first region and a second region each configured to be overlapped by a corresponding region of a reverse face of another tile, and a strike face region that is not overlapped by another tile, the first region and the second region being adjacent to the non-overlapped strike face region, the strike face region including a Y-shaped raised portion and no other raised portion or recessed portion, and the reverse face including a Y-shaped depression at a location corresponding to the location of the Y-shaped raised portion, and no other depression or raised portion.

A modular ballistic panel may include first and second vertical members, and curved rectangular first and second slats. The second vertical member may be spaced from the first vertical member. Each of the slats may be disposed between the first and second vertical members, with a first edge coupled to the first vertical side member and a second edge coupled to the second vertical side member. The first and second slats may be configured to deflect a projectile downward.

Disclosed are systems, methods, procedures and devices incorporating a variety of impact absorbing structures (IAS) and/or buckling structure arrays into protective garments, vests and/or other items, which can greatly enhance wearer comfort, improve garment durability, improve wearer athletic performance, reduce cost of manufacture and/or minimize impact forces and trauma to the wearer's body.

This technology relates materials that are stab, spike and ballistic resistant and to stab, spike and ballistic resistant composite articles incorporating uniaxially oriented, non-woven fabrics. A fabric layer having a non-uniform areal density is formed having thick areas and thin areas, the thick areas having a greater filament/tape concentration compared to the thin areas. In said thick areas, agglomerated tapes/filaments will protrude from the fabric layer surface. Additional layers are then adjoined with the non-uniform layer to form a panel that has stab, spike and ballistic resistance, with protrusions at least partially spacing the additional layers from full, direct contact with the surface of the non-uniform fabric layer to thereby enhance flexibility and stab, spike and ballistic resistance of the whole.

A lightweight armor system providing blast protection and ballistic protection against small arms fire, suitable for use in helmets, personnel or vehicle protection, and other armor systems. A hard substrate is coated on the front surface with a thin elastomeric polymer layer, in which hollow ceramic or metal spheres are encapsulated. The coating layer having a thin elastomeric polymer layer with encapsulated metal or ceramic hollow spheres can be stand-alone blast protection, or can be added to an underlying structure. The glass transition temperature of the polymer is preferably between negative fifty Celsius and zero Celsius.

A protective garment comprising multi-layered composite structures is conformable to the contours of the body parts for which protection is required. The composite structure contains rigid impact-deflecting outer structures, impact-dissipating gel middle layers, and impact-damping microlattice lower layers. In one embodiment, the structure is designed for impacts associated with contact sports, such as football, hockey and lacrosse. In another embodiment, the structure is designed for military/police applications, in which impacts can be blunt forces, from weapons such as clubs, or penetrative forces, from knives, bullets or shrapnel.

A composite laminate is made by providing at least a first composite ply and a second composite ply, each having longitudinally oriented fibers in a thermoplastic matrix. The second composite ply is disposed on, and in transverse relation to, the first composite ply. Preferably, the second ply is disposed at 90 relative to the first ply. An article can be manufactured by providing a core material and applying a reinforcing material to a portion of the core material. The reinforcing material is a reinforcing composite ply or a composite laminate as described herein. Optionally, the core material is a prepreg that may be a composite laminate.

A hand-carried ballistic shield for use by civilians and law enforcement is disclosed, comprising a ballistic metal sheet, one or more handles or attached accessories, and a bolt buffer element between the ballistic sheet and the handles or accessories. The sheet may be further faced with ceramic or hardened steel in order to improve ballistic performance against hardened core or higher velocity bullets. As a preferred method of manufacture, any holes in the ballistic metal sheet are made solely through mechanical means such as drilling or punching.

A lightweight antiballistic plate assembly includes a ceramic antiballistic plate that is strengthened with a superhard protective layer attached to the strike face of the antiballistic plate. In one embodiment, a strike face of the plate has a layer of superhard material, such as polycrystalline diamond (PCD), attached by sintering. In one embodiment, the ceramic antiballistic plate is made from a mixture of silicon carbide and superhard protective strike face comprising a material selected from the group consisting of polycrystalline diamond (PCD), polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN), thermally stable polycrystalline diamond and combinations thereof.