Kinetic energy dissipation system

• US 20110163558A1
• Filed: 12/07/2010
• Published: 07/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Windsor
• Original Assignee: University of Windsor
• Inventors: Jin, Shun Yi, Majumber, Amitabha, Altenhof, William Jack
• Granted Patent: US 8,347,775 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 293/128
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 7/127 by a blade element cutting or tearing into a quantity of material; Pultrusion of a filling material
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 5/007 Reactive armour; Dynamic armour
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 7/00 Armoured or armed vehicles general vehicle aspects B60; armoured or armed ships B63G; armoured or armed aircraft B64D; mounting guns, e.g. machine guns, on vehicles F41A23/00

Abstract

An energy dissipation assembly is provided for mounting between a fixed support and moveable support. The assembly includes a sacrificial deformation tube, a hardened cutter/deflector assembly and, optionally, a connecting cable to maintain the cutter/deflector assembly in juxtaposed coaxial alignment with an end deformation tube. The cutter/deflector assembly has a generally flattened disc shaped profile and including a central hub, a circular support ring and one or more cutting blades. The support ring concentrically about the hub and has an inner diameter greater than the outer tube diameter. On the occurrence of a shock force, the cutter/deflector assembly moves axially to cut/deform the deformation tube to dissipate force energy.

Claims

1. An assembly for dissipating kinetic energy, the assembly comprising:

a generally rigid deformable member;

a cutting/deflector assembly having at least one cutting blade member, said cutting assembly being displaceable relative to said deformable member to move said at least one blade member at least partially through said deformable member and wherein movement of the at least on butting blade through said deformable member cuts and/or deforms said deformable member to assist in dissipating said kinetic energy.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said deformable member is formed from ductile a metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, copper, tin, steel, nickel, and alloys thereof.

3. The assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said deformable member includes tubular cylindrical sidewall portion extending axially from a first cylinder end to a second cylinder end, said cutting blade including an entry face.

4. The assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein the cutter/deflector assembly includes an axially disposed hub, a radially extending support ring extending concentrically about said hub, and at least three of said cutter/deflector spanning between said hub and said support ring, said cutter blades being located substantially equally radially spaced positions about said hub.

5. The assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein said sidewall portion comprises an extruded aluminum sidewall having a substantially contestant sidewall thickness.

6. The assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein said sidewall portion has a sidewall thickness which tapers outwardly in thickness from the first cylinder end towards the second cylinder end.

7. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said deformable member comprises a plurality of generally cylindrical sidewall portions having different sidewall thicknesses.

8. The assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein the deformable members comprises a cylindrical aluminum or an aluminum alloy tube, and the cutting assembly is formed of cast hardened steel.

9. The assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein the kinetic energy is a shock energy generated by an improvised explosive device or a vehicle crash.

10. An armoured vehicle including the assembly of claim 1, the armoured vehicle having a double-walled floor pan including an interior floor pan and an exterior floor pan, wherein the cutting/deflector assembly being mounted to a first one of the exterior floor pan, and the interior floor pan, and the deformable member being coupled to a second other one of said exterior floor pan and the interior floor pan.

11. An energy dissipation system for dissipating kinetic shock energy including:

an aluminum tubular member, said tubular member extending longitudinally along an axis from a first end portion to a second end portion, said tubular member having a longitudinal length selected at between 5 and 50 cm and a radial diameter of about 4 to 10 cm,

at least one hardened cutter/deflector plate disposed adjacent to said first end portion, each cutter/deflector plate including three to five cutting blade members wherein on the occurrence of said shock energy, said cutting blades being movable longitudinally relative to said tubular member towards said second end portion, wherein longitudinal movement of the cutting blades through the tubular member cuts and/or deforms said tubular member to assist in absorbing said kinetic energy.

12. The energy dissipation system as claimed in claim 11 including at least two stacked cutter/deflector plates.

13. The energy dissipation system as claimed in claim 11, wherein each said cutter/deflector plate includes a centrally disposed hub, a support ring spaced radially outwardly from said hub, said cutting blade members spanning between and being integrally at each respective end with each of said hub and support ring.

14. The energy dissipation system as claimed in claim 13, wherein said hub is coaxially aligned with said axis, and said support ring extends concentrically about each of said hub and said first end portion.

15. The energy dissipation system as claimed in claim 14, wherein said kinetic shock energy generated by an explosive device.

16. An armoured vehicle including the energy dissipation system of claim 11, having an interior floor pan and an exterior floor pan spaced a distance from the interior floor pan and defining a space therebetween,

the energy dissipation system being disposed within the space with the second end portion being coupled to the interior floor pan and the at least one cutter/deflector plate being coupled to the exterior floor pan, such that movement of the exterior floor pan towards the interior floor pan effects longitudinal movement of the at least one cutter/deflector plate axially towards the second end.

17. The armoured vehicle as claimed in claim 16, wherein the exterior floor pan includes a pocket sized to receive at least part of the tubular member therein, the pocket being positioned substantially coaxial in alignment with said tube axis.

18. The energy dissipation system as claimed in claim 11 for use in a highway crash barrier having a vehicle barrier and a support, the tubular member being coupled to the vehicle barrier and said at least cutter/deflector plate being coupled to the support.

19. The energy dissipation system as claimed in claim 18, wherein said tubular member has a substantially constant sidewall thickness.