BALLISTIC PROTECTIVE HELMET

Abstract

The present invention relates to a ballistic protective helmet (1), comprising a helmet dome (2) formed from a metal material, wherein the helmet dome (2) comprises an inside facing the head of the wearer and an opposite outside GO. The ballistic protective helmet (1) further comprises a layer (3) arranged on the outside (4) of the helmet dome (2), which layer is formed from a fiber composite material.

Claims

1. A ballistic protective helmet, comprising: a helmet dome formed from a metal material, wherein the helmet dome comprises an inside facing the head of a wearer and an opposite outside; and a layer arranged on the outside of the helmet dome, which layer is formed from a fiber composite material.

2. Ballistic protective helmet, comprising: a helmet dome formed from a metal material, wherein the helmet dome comprises an inside facing the head of a wearer and an opposite outside; and a first mounting means arranged on the outside of the helmet dome, which mounting means is designed such that a layer formed from a fiber composite material may be removably mounted to the outside of the helmet dome.

3. The ballistic protective helmet according to claim 1, wherein the layer has a thickness of 5 to 30 mm.

4. The ballistic protective helmet according to claim 1, wherein the fiber composite material comprises polyethylene fibers.

5. The ballistic protective helmet according to claim 1, wherein the metal material is titanium or a titanium alloy.

6. The ballistic protective helmet according to claim 1, further comprising a first mounting means designed such that the layer formed from fiber composite material may be removably mounted to the outside of the helmet dome.

7. The ballistic protective helmet according to claim 1, wherein the layer is arranged in the type of a shield in the forehead area of the helmet dome.

8. The ballistic protective helmet according to claim 2, wherein the first mounting means is arranged in the forehead area of the helmet dome.

9. The ballistic protective helmet according to claim 1, further comprising a metal strip, which is at least partially arranged in an overlapping manner with the layer and firmly connected to the helmet dome.

10. The ballistic protective helmet according to claim 1, wherein the protective helmet is designed such that when the protective helmet is being worn, the smallest distance between the inside of the helmet dome and the head of a wearer is at least 10 mm.

11. The ballistic protective helmet according to claim 1, further comprising a headband connected to the helmet dome, which headband keeps the helmet dome at a distance to the head of a wearer when the protective helmet is being worn.

12. The ballistic protective helmet according to claim 1, wherein the layer comprises a second mounting means designed such that the layer may be removably mounted to the outside of the helmet dome.

13. Shield for a ballistic protective helmet, wherein the protective helmet comprises a helmet dome formed from a metal material, wherein the helmet dome comprises an inside facing the head of a wearer and an opposite outside, wherein the shield is formed from a fiber composite material, and wherein the shield is designed such that it can be mounted to an outside of the helmet dome.

14. The shield according to claim 13, wherein the shield is designed such that it can be arranged in the forehead area of the helmet dome.

15. The ballistic protective helmet according to claim 1, wherein the layer or the shield comprises a concave surface corresponding to a convex area of the outside of the helmet dome, in which area the layer or the shield is arranged.

Description

4. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] The aspects of the present invention will be explained below on the basis of preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. The drawings show:

[0035] FIG. 1A: a frontal view of an embodiment of a protective helmet according to the invention with a fiber composite layer arranged in the forehead area;

[0036] FIG. 1B: a cross-section of the protective helmet shown in FIG. 1A;

[0037] FIG. 2A: a frontal view of an embodiment of a protective helmet according to the invention with a fiber composite layer in three parts;

[0038] FIG. 2B: a cross-section of the protective helmet shown in FIG. 2A;

[0039] FIG. 3A: a frontal view of an embodiment of a protective helmet according to the invention with a fiber composite layer substantially covering the entire helmet dome; and

[0040] FIG. 3B: a cross-section of the protective helmet shown in FIG. 3A.

5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0041] FIG. 1A shows a frontal view of an embodiment of a protective helmet 1 according to the invention. FIG. 1B shows a cross-section of the plane designated with reference number A in FIG. 1A, which stands orthogonally on the paper plane. The protective helmet 1 comprises a helmet dome 2 made from metal according to the invention. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B, said metal is titanium. Basically, however, other metals such as steel or aluminum may be used as well. The metal may be present as an alloy.

[0042] The helmet dome 2 is manufactured in a deep drawing process, preferably from a single-piece titanium sheet. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B, the helmet dome 2 is designed in one layer and has a sheet thickness of 1 mm to 5 mm. A multi-layer structure is also possible.

[0043] The protective helmet 1 further comprises a layer 3 manufactured from a fiber composite material. A fiber composite material of layers from ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers (UHMW PE) has proven to be particularly advantageous. In a preferred embodiment, aramid fibers are added to said fiber composite material. UHMW PE is a thermoplastic polymer manufactured from very long molecular chains of polyethylene. The individual fibers are of comparatively high specific strength.

[0044] The fibers are processed into layers in which the individual fibers are aligned substantially in parallel. Apart from the fibers, such a layer may also comprise a matrix material, for example a resin. For manufacturing the layer 3 in the embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B, two or more layers of fibers are joined substantially orthogonally to each other and wound up on a roll. Due to the orthogonal orientation of the molecular chains, a thin layer with high tensile strength in substantially all directions is created. A typical layer thickness is 200 m. From the thin layer wound up on a roll, cuts are cut out, for example with a CNC cutting machine or a laser, and stapled into a pack. Typically, for this purpose, 70 to 120 thin layers are laid on top of each other and then pressed into a laminate under high pressure of typically 50 to 330 bar and a high temperature of typically 100 C. to 150 C. For this purpose, a heatable press is used. After pressing, the final contour of the layer 3 is cut out from the laminate. In the embodiment, the layer 3 has a thickness 14 of 6 mm to 20 mm.

[0045] Basically, other fiber composite materials may also be used in the scope of the present invention, for example comprising aramid fibers. Thermoplastic fibers have proven to be particularly effective in this regard. It is also possible to use mixtures of other types of fibers, such as polyethylene and aramid.

[0046] In the embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B, the layer 3 comprises a concave surface corresponding to a convex area of the outside 4 of the helmet dome 2, in which the layer 3 is arranged. The contour of the layer 3 thus follows the contour of the helmet dome 2. Between the helmet dome 2 and the layer 3, there is a hook-and-loop strip 5. The layer 3 is thus removably connected to the helmet dome 2. Basically, instead of a hook-and-loop strip, other mounting means may be used as well, such as buttons or magnets, or the layer 3 may be permanently connected to the helmet dome 2, for example by means of an adhesive.

[0047] In the embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B, the layer 3 has a width 6 of 222 mm and a height 7 of 124 mm. The surface of the layer 3 is 300 cm.sup.2 to 500 cm.sup.2 by way of example. The protective helmet 1 has a width 8 of 225 mm and a depth 9 of 269 mm. The surface of the helmet is woo cm.sup.2 to 1500 cm.sup.2 by way of example. The shown standard head 10 has size 62. The size specifications, especially the length specifications, only serve as examples. Moreover, according to the invention, the layer 3 does not necessarily have to be arranged in the type of a shield in the forehead region. In other embodiments, the layer is arranged on the sides or in the back part of the head. The layer 3 may also comprise a plurality of elements comprising fiber composite materials, which are arranged next to each other on the helmet dome 2. For example, the protective helmet may comprise a fiber composite layer 3 all around in order to achieve an increased protective effect from all sides.

[0048] In other embodiments, two fiber composite layers are arranged in an at least partially overlapping manner, similar to the layer 3 shown in the embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B. For example, in areas where primarily direct fire is expected, for example in the forehead area, two fiber composite layers may be arranged in an overlapping manner, whereas in other areas, the helmet dome 2 is covered with only one fiber composite layer.

[0049] In the embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B, the protective helmet 1 further comprises a headband 11 keeping the helmet dome at a distance 12 from 10 mm to 4o mm, preferably 15 mm to 30 mm to the head 10. Another, optional feature of the helmet 1 is a metal strip 13 arranged at the edge of the forehead area of the helmet under the layer 3 and reinforces the helmet dome there. The metal strip 13 extends from the right to the left temporal area and preferably has a height of approximately 20 mm to 30 mm. The metal strip 13 additionally increases the capability of the helmet 1 to sustain fire in the edge area up to a distance of approximately 15 mm from the edge. The metal strip 13 may be glued onto the helmet dome 2 by means of a two-component adhesive and a glass fiber mat.

[0050] FIG. 2A shows a frontal view of another embodiment of a protective helmet 1 according to the invention. FIG. 2B shows a cross-section of the plane designated with reference number B in FIG. 2A, which stands orthogonally on the paper plane. The protective helmet 1 comprises a helmet dome 2 comparable with the helmet dome 2 of the embodiment from FIGS. 1A and 1B. Therefore, the statements made on the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B apply with regard to the helmet dome 2.

[0051] As opposed to the embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B, the protective helmet 1 in the embodiment of FIGS. 2A and 2B comprises a layer of fiber composite material consisting of three segments 3a, 3b and 3c. Segment 3a is arranged in the forehead area, segment 3b on the right side and segment 3c on the left side of the protective helmet 1. The thickness of the layer formed from the three segments 3a, 3b and 3c is 6 mm to 20 mm. With regard to the fiber composite material, basically the statements made on the embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B apply.

[0052] The three segments 3a, 3b and 3c of the fiber composite layer are connected to the helmet dome 2 via a hook-and-loop strip 5. Other mounting means such as buttons or magnets are possible. In other embodiments, the three segments 3a, 3b and 3c are permanently connected to the helmet dome, for example by means of an adhesive. In other embodiments, some segments may be permanently connected to the helmet dome 2, whereas other segments may be removably connected to the helmet dome 2. For example, the segment 3a may be permanently connected to the helmet dome 2 in the forehead area, whereas the lateral segments 3b and 3c may be removably connected to the helmet dome 2.

[0053] The three segments 3a, 3b and 3c do not abut, i.e. a small gap remains between them. In other embodiments, the three segments 3a, 3b and 3c may abut and thus form a continuous layer of fiber composite material. The number of segments in the embodiment of FIGS. 2A and 2B only serves as an example as well. In other embodiments, the protective helmet may comprise two or more than three segments of a layer of fiber composite material.

[0054] The protective helmet of the embodiment of FIGS. 2A and 2B has a width 8 of 253 mm and an internal dimension 15 of 225 mm. The depth 9 is 271 mm, and the distance from the inside of the helmet dome 2 to the standard head 10 (size 62) is 15 to 40 mm. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B, this distance is caused by a headband 11. The surface of the segments 3a, 3b and 3c is between 300 cm.sup.2 and 500 cm.sup.2 in this embodiment. The surface of the protective helmet 1 is between woo cm.sup.2 and 1500 cm.sup.2. All aforementioned dimensions are examples and may have other values in other embodiments.

[0055] In the embodiment of FIGS. 2A and 2B, the protective helmet 1 also comprises a metal strip 13, to which the statements made on FIGS. 1A and 1B apply.

[0056] FIG. 3A shows a frontal view of another embodiment of a protective helmet 1 according to the invention. FIG. 3B shows a cross-section of the plane designated with reference number C in FIG. 3A, which stands orthogonally on the paper plane. The protective helmet 1 comprises a helmet dome 2 comparable with the helmet dome 2 of the embodiments from FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A and 2B. Therefore, the statements made on the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A and 2B apply with regard to the helmet dome 2.

[0057] In the embodiment of FIGS. 3A and 3B, the fiber composite layer 3 is substantially arranged on the entire outside 4 of the helmet dome 2, i.e. the layer 3 substantially completely covers the helmet dome. In this embodiment, the layer 3 is designed as a fiber composite layer in one layer. For manufacturing such a fiber composite layer, the statements made on the embodiments of FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A and 2B apply.

[0058] In the embodiment of FIGS. 3A and 3B, the layer 3 is permanently connected to the underlying helmet dome 2 by means of a connecting layer 5. Such a connecting layer may, for example, be based on an adhesive, such as a two-component adhesive, and a glass fiber mat, where appropriate.

[0059] The protective helmet of the embodiment of FIGS. 3A and 3B has a width 8 of 253 mm and an internal dimension 15 of 225 mm. The depth 9 is 269 mm, and the distance from the inside of the helmet dome 2 to the standard head 10 (size 62) is 15 to 40 mm. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B, this distance is caused by a headband 11. The height 7 of the helmet is 202 mm. The surface of the protective helmet 1 is between moo cm.sup.2 and 1500 cm.sup.2. All aforementioned dimensions are examples and may have other values in other embodiments.

[0060] In the embodiment of FIGS. 3A and 3B, the protective helmet 1 also comprises a metal strip 13, to which the statements made on FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A and 2B apply.

[0061] The protective helmet according to the invention may comprise a visor and/or a neck guard (not shown in the Figures). For this purpose, the protective helmet may comprise one or several mounting means for removably connecting the visor and/or the neck guard to the protective helmet. Alternatively, the visor and/or the neck guard may be firmly connected to the helmet dome.

[0062] The protective effect of ballistic protective helmets may, for example, be tested according to the test guideline bullet-resistant helmet with visor and neck guard (Durchschusshemmender Helm mit Visier und Nackenschutz) of the Association of Test Centres for attack-resistant materials and constructions (Vereinigung der Prfstellen far angriffshemmende Materialien und Konstruktion, VPAM). According to this test guideline, the energy transferred to a measuring head (usually of soap) under fire must not exceed 25 joule. Depending on the caliber and the projectile speed at which this limit is not exceeded, ballistic protective helmets are classified into protection classes. Whereas ballistic protective helmets known in the aft are classified up to protection class 3, an embodiment of the protective helmet according to the invention can be classified into protection class 6 (VPAM 6). Specifically, the measuring head was subject to an energy of only 2 joule under fire with caliber 7.6239 FeC/M43 and a projectile speed of 720 m/s according to VPAM. Such a caliber is typically fired from long guns.

[0063] Of course, other residual energies may result in other embodiments of the present invention. Moreover, embodiments of the present invention may also be tested in accordance with other test guidelines and/or norms and/or standards.

[0064] The embodiments of the present invention relate to ballistic protective helmets for special forces and policemen. However, the invention is not limited to this but may also be used for protective helmets for military use.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0065] 1 Protective helmet [0066] 2 Helmet dome [0067] 3 Fiber composite layer [0068] 4 Outside of the helmet dome [0069] 5 Mounting means [0070] 6 Layer width [0071] 7 Height [0072] 8 Width [0073] 9 Depth [0074] 10 Standard head [0075] 11 Headband [0076] 12 Distance head to the helmet dome [0077] 13 Metal strip [0078] 14 Layer thickness [0079] 15 Internal dimension