PRE-STRESSED CURVED CERAMIC PLATES/TILES AND METHOD OF PRODUCING SAME

Abstract

A pre-stressed curved plate comprising a curved plate having at least one concave surface, the curved plate being enveloped and adhesively bonded with tensioned reinforcing fibers, whereby the reinforcing fibers are first wound around the plate under tension being spaced apart from the concave surface and subsequently subjected to pressure to stretch and bond the reinforcing fibers to the surfaces of the plate, where upon bonding, the tensile strain of the fiber introduces stress in the plate.

Claims

1. A pre-stressed curved plate comprising: a curved ceramic plate having at least one concave surface; and reinforcing fibers that are wound around the ceramic plate, wherein the reinforcing fibers are under tension and adhesively bonded thereto, whereby the curved ceramic plate is maintained under compression stress.

2. The curved plate in accordance with claim 1, wherein the curved ceramic plate is a ceramic tile.

3. The curved plate in accordance with claim 2, wherein the ceramic plate is made of aluminum oxide (Al2O3); hot pressed, sintered or reaction bonded boron carbide (B4C); silicon carbide (SiC); boron silicon carbide (BSC); titanium diboride (Ti B2); aluminum nitride; silicon nitride; and glass-ceramic, or combinations thereof.

4. The curved plate in accordance with claim 1, wherein the ceramic plate has a thickness between 3-30 mm.

5. The curved plate in accordance with claim 1, wherein the reinforcing fibers are selected from aramid, poly(p-phenylene-2, 6-benzobisoxazole), S or E glass, carbon, thermoplastics (polyamide, HMWPE, polyethylene, polypropylene) or metal (boron, steel, aluminum) fibers or their combination.

6. The curved plate in accordance with claim 1, wherein the adhesive is selected from epoxy, phenolic, thermoplastic, thermosetting adhesives, rubber or elastomer based adhesives and ceramic adhesives.

7. The curved plate in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a removable spacer interposed between the concave surface of the ceramic plate and the reinforcing fibers.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] FIG. 1 illustrates a curved ceramic plate before winding with reinforcing fibers

[0040] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a curved ceramic plate wound initially with reinforcing fibers in accordance with the present invention.

[0041] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a curved ceramic plate with wound fibers stretched and bonded to the surfaces of the plate.

[0042] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a curved ceramic plate with spacer wound initially with reinforcing fibers prior to applying pressure at elevated temperature.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a curved ceramic plate 10 having a concave surface 12 and a convex surface 14. In FIG. 2 the curved plate 20 is wound with adhesive coated reinforcing fibers 16 under tension. Fibers 16 thus come in direct contact with the convex surface 14 and loop around the concave surface 12 forming a taut straight line between the edges 17 and 19 of the curved plate 20, leaving a space 15 between the tautly wound fibers 16a and the concave surface 12 of the plate. FIG. 3 shows fibers 16,16a wound around a curved ceramic plate 30 after being subjected to elevated temperature of about 180 C., while applying pressure (see the arrows) against the tensioned wound fibers 16,16a, pressing the fibers against the surfaces 12 and curing it. Curing can be done by means of a hydroclave, autoclave, isotactic press or other suitable apparatus as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,389,594. The tensioned wound fibers 16,16a are thus bonded to the concave surface 12 and compress the curved plate.

[0044] FIG. 4 illustrates in cross-section a curved ceramic plate 40 having a concave surface 12 and a convex surface 14. A removable spacer 42 is placed on the concave surface 12. Reinforcing fibers 44, 44a having low tensile strain, which would prevent the fibers from being pressed against the concave surface 12 under pressure were they stretched taut across line x-x, are wrapped around a spacer 42 raising fibers 44a over the concave surface 12 above the line x-x. This increases the length of fibers 44a on the concave side sufficiently so that when the temperature is raised and pressure is applied, and the spacer 42 is removed, fibers 44a will stretch sufficiently to reach the concave surface 12 to be bonded to the plate and cured.

[0045] The type of fiber should be chosen according to its possible elongation and maximum elastic modulus to increase the compression stresses in the plate.

[0046] It should be noted that by using different fibers and/or different adhesives and/or other bonding conditions such as different processing temperature or pressure, one may vary the degree of impregnation and/or the degree of tensioning of the fibers and/or the degree of compression, which may affect the degree of stress in the ceramic plate/tile.

[0047] In practice, ceramic plates of this invention are generally backed with an anti-ballistic cloth in anti-ballistic body protecting articles.

EXAMPLE

[0048] A number of ceramic body armor articles were prepared as follows. Aluminum oxide double curved ceramic plates 7.1 mm thick and weighing an average of 2100 g were wound with 200 g of T700 carbon fibers under tension, treated under pressure and 180 degrees temperature to pre-stress the plates, and backed with 23 layers of polyethylene cloth, with average weight of 460 g including adhesive. These articles had a general weight of 2760 g.

[0049] These articles were tested against APM2 projectiles with velocity range 868-883 m/s and provided good protection (two bullets were stopped by these articles) whereas articles with the same ceramic plates without pre-stressing have to include at least 40 layers of polyethylene cloth with average weight of 2900 g to provide the same ballistic protection.