ABBS have issued a response to the US Rapid Reaction Technology Office’s (RRTO) RFI relating to Thunderstorm for Contested Logistics.
This outlines how the Advanced Blast & Ballistic Systems Limited Energy Absorbing Sandwich Belly Plate for Land Vehicle protection (CRBP) can be used to improve the survivability of any ground distribution platform.
Technology Description:
Landmines and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) present a real and present threat to land vehicles driven both in active and legacy theatres of operation. In unarmoured or lightly armoured vehicles, the underbody blast shockwave ruptures the floor and the impulse, high-pressure gas, reflected pressure and associated ejecta cause serious and fatal injuries to the crew. For armoured vehicles, the vehicle floor can deflect upwards at high-speed due to the shockwave or the protective belly plate hitting it sending an impulse through the floor which fractures any lower limbs of crew members that are in contact with it. Deformation of the vehicle belly-plate has one further consequence in that the upward pressure from the blast is somewhat contained and contributes to vertical Global Acceleration of the vehicle.
The use of a “V” shaped belly plate to help deflect the blast and increase the stiffness of the design to prevent it deforming upwards and impacting the vehicle floor has become standard in armoured vehicle design. The element of increased stiffness is important in spreading the blast loads along the belly plate and minimising deformation, but the very rigid design attached directly to the main vehicle structure also ensures that shock transmission into the vehicle is maximised with potentially negative effects on the crew and vehicle equipment
Furthermore, the V design increases the centres of mass of the vehicle leading to reduced manoeuvrability and increasing vulnerability to rollover when subjected to side blasts or when driven on sloping or unstable ground.
ABBS’s solution is a new design based on a flat sandwich structure which ensures that the whole voume of the belly plate is involved in absorbing energy, reducing local deformation levels and and enabling fitting the design to lightweight commercial vehicles with low ground clearance whilst avoiding the negative effects of raised centre of mass on military types. The overall structure is not only lighter than a standard armoured steel belly plate, but also flat, reducing the overall vehicle centre-of-gravity and remains substantially flat when subjected to blast. This means that gasses from the blast can easily escape from under the vehicle and floor intrusion into the cabin is minimised.
Main Benefits:
- Can be fitted to lightweight commercial vehicles with low ground clearance
- Up to 40% lighter than a standard armoured steel belly plate for the same local deformation level.
- Space between the belly plate and the vehicle floor can be reduced due to lower local deformation.1
The technology has been demonstrated in full scale vehicle firings in the UK:
- a Snatch Land Rover subjected to a 6kg mine.
- a Toyota Hilux™ tested with a 4kg mine fully to the Dstl/WP53308 1.0 standard, equivalent to NATO AEP-55 STANAG 4569.
The technology is judged to be at TRL6.
Further R&D is required to conduct extensive testing and fully optimise the design. We believe that the composite belly plate will be especially advantageous for lightweight highly maneuverable special forces vehicles that are dropped into theatre by helicopter.
For more details about Advanced Blast & Ballistic Systems range of Land Vehicle Protection products, please contact us.