초록 ▼

Silicon infiltration technology is used to produce ceramic bodies having utility as ballistic armor. In a first aspect of the invention, the ballistic armor includes a reaction-bonded silicon carbide body (RBSC). Good ballistic performance can be advanced by loading the permeable mass or preform to

Silicon infiltration technology is used to produce ceramic bodies having utility as ballistic armor. In a first aspect of the invention, the ballistic armor includes a reaction-bonded silicon carbide body (RBSC). Good ballistic performance can be advanced by loading the permeable mass or preform to be infiltrated to a high degree with one or more hard fillers, and by limiting the size of the largest particles making up the mass. In a second aspect, the silicon infiltration technology, e.g., siliconizing or reaction-bonding, is used to bond silicon carbide fibers to at least the back surface of a ceramic armor body, thereby enhancing ballistic stopping power. A third aspect of the invention pertains to the ability to engineer RBSC bodies such that there is little dimensional change during processing, thereby permitting high dimensional reproducibility in large-scale production.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A ballistic armor, comprising a ceramic layer and a backing layer attached to said ceramic layer;the ceramic layer comprising a composite body comprising a reinforcement phase and a matrix phase;wherein the reinforcement phase comprises at least one hard ceramic filler material distributed throug

1. A ballistic armor, comprising a ceramic layer and a backing layer attached to said ceramic layer;the ceramic layer comprising a composite body comprising a reinforcement phase and a matrix phase;wherein the reinforcement phase comprises at least one hard ceramic filler material distributed throughout the matrix phase;wherein the matrix phase comprises silicon carbide;wherein the reinforcement phase and the matrix phase each possess a microstructure consisting of morphological features, and wherein at least 90 percent by volume of said morphological features are smaller than about 100 microns in size; andwherein the reinforcement phase and the matrix phase make up at least 70 percent by volume of the composite body. 2. The ballistic armor of claim 1, wherein the filler material comprises silicon carbide. 3. The ballistic armor of claim 1, wherein the composite body further comprises silicon distributed throughout the matrix phase. 4. The ballistic armor of claim 1, wherein said morphological features comprise grains. 5. The ballistic armor of claim 1, wherein said morphological features comprise crystallites. 6. The ballistic armor of claim 5, wherein substantially all of said crystallites are smaller than about 106 microns in diameter. 7. The ballistic armor of claim 1, wherein said backing layer comprises at least one fiber-reinforced plastic material. 8. The ballistic armor of claim 7, wherein said fiber comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, aramid and glass. 9. The ballistic armor of claim 1, wherein said composite material comprises at least 65 percent by volume of said at least one filler material. 10. The ballistic armor of claim 1, wherein said at least one filler material comprises at least one ceramic material selected from the group consisting of silicon carbide, titanium carbide and titanium diboride. 11. The ballistic armor of claim 1, wherein said composite body has a four-point flexural strength of at least about 260 MPa. 12. The ballistic armor of claim 1, wherein said composite material comprises no more than about 24 percent by volume of said silicon carbide of said matrix. 13. The ballistic armor of claim 1, wherein said bodies making up said filler material have a Vickers hardness of at least about 2400 kg/mm 2 . 14. The ballistic armor of claim 1, wherein said body comprises a composite material comprising (i) a matrix comprising silicon carbide, and (ii) no more than about 30 percent by volume of an infiltrant phase comprising silicon dispersed throughout said matrix phase, and further wherein said body has a hardness of at least about 1670 kg/mm 2 as measured with a Vickers indenter using a 1 kg load. 15. The ballistic armor of claim 1, wherein said body has a ballistic stopping power of at least about 35.2 m 3 /kg/s when tested under the following conditions:7.62 mm projectileSpectraShield® polymer composite backing materialtotal areal density of about 23.25 kg/m 2 outer tactical vest simulant comprising 28 plies of KM2 (600 denier) blanket comprising rip-stop nylon. 16. A method for making a ballistic armor, comprising:(a) providing at least one backing layer;(b) producing a ceramic layer comprising a composite body comprising a reinforcement phase and a matrix phase, said producing comprising(1) providing at least one of a permeable mass or preform comprising at least one carbon source and by volume at least 70 percent of at least one hard filler material and having at least 90 percent by volume of bodies making up said filler being no larger than about 100 microns in size;(2) heating an infiltrant comprising silicon to at least its melting point, thereby forming a molten infiltrant;(3) in a vacuum or inert atmosphere, and at a temperature sufficiently low as to avoid recrystallization, contacting said molten infiltrant to at least one of said permeable mass or preform;(4) infiltrating said molten infiltrant into said permeable mass or preform, and reacting said silicon with said carbon source to form silicon carbide; and(5) continuing said infiltrating and reacting at least until said formed silicon carbide forms an at least partially interconnected structure; and(c) relative to the direction of travel of an impinging projectile, attaching said backing layer to said ceramic layer at a location that is behind said ceramic layer. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein once said permeable mass is provided, said mass thereafter is never exposed to a temperature in excess of about 2100° C. 18. The method of claim 16, wherein said carbon source is provided as a carbonaceous resin, which resin is subsequently pyrolyzed. 19. The method of claim 16, wherein said carbon source is provided as elemental carbon. 20. The method of claim 16, wherein said elemental carbon makes up no more than about 10 volume percent of said permeable mass. 21. The method of claim 16, wherein said bodies making up said filler material comprise particulate.