DIFFERENTIALLY ARMORED FUEL TANK STRUCTURE AND ASSOCIATED FABRICATION METHODOLOGY

• US 20120055937A1
• Filed: 08/25/2011
• Published: 03/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: High Impact Technology, LLC
• Original Assignee: High Impact Technology, LLC
• Inventors: Monk, Russell A., Ohnstad, Thomas S.
• Application Number:
  US13/218,315
• Publication Number:
  US 20120055937A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 220/560.02
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 51/18 vessels, e.g. tubs, vats, tanks, sinks, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 53/88 other parts for vehicles, e.g. cowlings, mudguards
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/03 Fuel tanks chassis frame comprising fluid storage compartment B62D21/16 ; Details of the fuel feeding system related to the fuel tank F02M37/0076
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/0438 Arrangement under the floor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/03039 made of a combination of non metallic and metallic materials
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/03407 to protect tanks against projectiles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/24 Military vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49622 Vehicular structural member making

Abstract

Differentially armored, vehicle fuel tank structure possessing contiguous, united and integrated, tank-wall regions including a high-puncture-risk region formed of lightweight, penetrable, non-armoring material, and joined thereto, a low-puncture-risk region formed of hardened and heavyweight, anti-penetration, armoring material. Included also is a sprayed-on, allover, tank-exterior, self-sealing, anti-fuel-leak barrier coating formed principally of a high-elastomeric material which reacts in a material-swelling manner on contact with fuel in the tank structure.

Claims

1. Differentially-armored, altered-armoring-priority, liquid fuel tank structure for a vehicle comprising

a liquid fuel tank having a defining tank wall possessing an outside surface, and both a high-puncture-risk, entry-wound zone, and a low-puncture-risk, exit-wound zone, and in association respectively with said zones, integrated, functionally differentiated, tank-wall regions joined to one another, and including, for said entry-wound zone, a region formed of lightweight, non-armoring material, and for said exit-wound zone, a region formed of heavyweight, armoring material, and

distributed over the entirety of said outside surface, a self-sealing, anti-puncture-wound-leak, barrier coating formed throughout with a high-elastomeric material which reacts in elastomeric and material-swelling self-sealing manners on contact with leakage fuel coming from said tank.

2. The tank structure of claim 1 wherein said barrier coating includes plural layers. and in at least one of said layers, a distribution of liquid-fuel imbiber beads.

3. A method for creating a differentially-armored, altered-armoring-priority, vehicle liquid-fuel tank structure possessing a tank with a wall having an outside surface, and characterized by contiguous, united and integrated, functionally differentiated, a high-puncture-risk, entry-wound and a low-puncture-risk, exit-wound zones, said method comprising

forming for the entry-wound zone a tank-wall region utilizing lightweight, non-armoring material,

forming for the exit-wound zone, in joinder with the first-mentioned formed tank-wall region, another tank-wall region utilizing heavyweight, anti-penetration, armoring material, and

jacketing the tank-wall'"'"'s outside surface with a self-sealing, anti-puncture-wound-leak, barrier coating formed throughout with a high-elastomeric material which reacts in both elastomeric and material-swelling self-sealing manners on contact with leakage fuel coming from the tank.

4. The method of claim 3 which further comprises performing said jacketing so as to create plural layers in the barrier coating, and including in at least one of these layers, during jacketing, a distribution of liquid-fuel imbiber beads.