Wearable air blast protection device
First Claim
1. A wearable air blast wave energy protection device, the device comprising:
- (a) a layer of a first material shaped and configured to reflect a substantial portion of incident air blast wave energy comprising a shock front originating from a high-order explosive, the first material having an acoustic impedance substantially mismatched to the acoustic impedance of air; and
(b) a layer of a second material shaped and configured for wearing proximate to an exterior portion of a human body, the second material including at least two attenuating-regions, the at least two attenuating-regions including(i) a first attenuating-region having a first inelastic response to the incident air blast wave energy transmitted through the layer of the first material, the first attenuation-region comprising a first yield stress, and(ii) a second attenuating-region having a second inelastic response to the incident air blast wave energy transmitted through the layer of the first material, the second attenuating-region comprising a second yield stress, wherein the ratio of the first yield stress divided by the second yield stress is greater than 1,wherein the layer of the first material includes a front surface and a back surface, the layer of the second material includes a front surface and a back surface, and at least a portion of the back surface of the layer of the first material is proximate to at least a portion of the front surface of the layer of the second material.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Described embodiments include a system, device and method. A described device includes a first material configured to reflect a substantial portion of a specified incident air blast wave energy. The first material has an acoustic impedance substantially mismatched to air'"'"'s acoustic impedance. The device includes a second material configured for wearing proximate to a human body and having attenuating-regions. A first attenuating-region has a first inelastic response to the specified incident air blast wave energy. A second attenuating-region has a second inelastic response to the specified incident air blast wave energy. At least a portion of a back surface of the first material is proximate to at least a portion of a front surface of the second material.
109 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A wearable air blast wave energy protection device, the device comprising:
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(a) a layer of a first material shaped and configured to reflect a substantial portion of incident air blast wave energy comprising a shock front originating from a high-order explosive, the first material having an acoustic impedance substantially mismatched to the acoustic impedance of air; and (b) a layer of a second material shaped and configured for wearing proximate to an exterior portion of a human body, the second material including at least two attenuating-regions, the at least two attenuating-regions including (i) a first attenuating-region having a first inelastic response to the incident air blast wave energy transmitted through the layer of the first material, the first attenuation-region comprising a first yield stress, and (ii) a second attenuating-region having a second inelastic response to the incident air blast wave energy transmitted through the layer of the first material, the second attenuating-region comprising a second yield stress, wherein the ratio of the first yield stress divided by the second yield stress is greater than 1, wherein the layer of the first material includes a front surface and a back surface, the layer of the second material includes a front surface and a back surface, and at least a portion of the back surface of the layer of the first material is proximate to at least a portion of the front surface of the layer of the second material.
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2. The device of claim 1, wherein the first attenuating-region includes:
a first attenuating-region shaped and configured to increase a duration of the incident air blast wave energy transmitted through the layer of the first material and having a first inelastic response to the incident air blast wave energy transmitted through the layer of the first material.
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3. The device of claim 1, wherein the layer of a second material includes:
a layer of a second material shaped and configured for wearing proximate to an exterior portion of a human body and having a layer thickness of less than about 5 cm.
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4. The device of claim 1, wherein the second inelastic response being dissimilar from the first inelastic response.
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5. The device of claim 1, wherein the second inelastic response being substantially similar to the first inelastic response.
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6. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least two attenuating-regions includes:
a single region presenting a graduated inelastic response to the incident air blast wave energy transmitted through the layer of the first material, the graduated inelastic response having a range of inelastic responses including the first inelastic response and the second inelastic response.
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7. The device of claim 1, wherein the layer of a second material includes:
a layer of a syntactic foam shaped and configured for wearing proximate to an exterior portion of a human body, the syntactic foam presenting a graduated inelastic response to the incident air blast wave energy transmitted through the layer of the first material.
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8. The device of claim 1, wherein the layer of a second material includes:
a layer of a second material shaped and configured for wearing proximate to an exterior portion of a human body, the second material including (i) a first attenuating-region presenting a first graduated inelastic response to the incident air blast wave energy transmitted through the layer of the first material, and (ii) a second attenuating-region presenting a second graduated inelastic response to the incident air blast wave energy transmitted through the layer of the first material.
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9. The device of claim 1, wherein the layer of a second material includes:
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a layer of a second material shaped and configured for wearing proximate to an exterior portion of a human body, the second material including an aggregation of attenuating-regions, the attenuating-regions including (i) first attenuating-regions having a first inelastic response to the incident air blast wave energy transmitted through the layer of the first material, and (ii) second attenuating-regions having a second inelastic response to the incident air blast wave energy transmitted through the layer of the first material.
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10. The device of claim 9, wherein the layer of a second material includes:
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a layer of a second material shaped and configured for wearing proximate to an exterior portion of a human body, the second material including an aggregation of approximately equal volumes of at least two attenuating-regions, the at least two attenuating-regions including (i) first attenuating-regions having a first inelastic response to the incident air blast wave energy transmitted through the layer of the first material,and (ii) second attenuating-regions having a second inelastic response to the incident air blast wave energy transmitted through the layer of the first material.
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11. The device of claim 1, wherein the layer of a second material includes:
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a layer of a second material shaped and configured for wearing proximate to an exterior portion of a human body, the second material including an arrangement of at least two attenuating-regions, the arrangement of at least two attenuating-regions including (i) a first attenuating-region having a first inelastic response to the incident air blast wave energy transmitted through the layer of the first material, and (ii) a second attenuating-region having a second inelastic response to the incident air blast wave energy transmitted through the layer of the first material.
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12. The device of claim 11, wherein the layer of a second material includes:
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a layer of a second material shaped and configured for wearing proximate to an exterior portion of a human body, the second material including an arrangement of at least two attenuating-regions, the at least two attenuating-regions includes (a) a first attenuating-region having (i) a first inelastic response to the incident air blast wave energy transmitted through the layer of the first material and (ii) a first directional orientation to the incident air blast wave energy transmitted through the layer of the first material, and (b) a second attenuating-region having (i) a second inelastic response to the incident air blast wave energy transmitted through the layer of the first material and (ii) a second directional orientation to the incident air blast wave energy transmitted through the layer of the first material.
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13. The device of claim 12, wherein the second directional orientation being substantially similar to the first directional orientation.
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14. The device of claim 12, wherein the second directional orientation being substantially dissimilar from the first directional orientation.
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15. The device of claim 1, wherein the layer of a second material includes:
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a layer of a second material shaped and configured for wearing proximate to an exterior portion of a human body, the second material including at least two segments respectively having at least two attenuating-regions, a first segment of the at least two segments including a first attenuating-region of the at least two attenuating-regions having a first inelastic response to the incident air blast wave energy transmitted through the layer of the first material; and a second attenuating-region of the at least two attenuating-regions having a second inelastic response to the incident air blast wave energy transmitted through the layer of the first material.
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16. The device of claim 1, wherein the layer of a second material includes:
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a layer of a second material shaped and configured for wearing proximate to an exterior portion of a human body, the second material including at least three attenuating-regions, the at least three attenuating-regions including (i) a first attenuating-region having a first inelastic response to the incident air blast wave energy transmitted through the layer of the first material, (ii) a second attenuating-region having a second inelastic response to the incident air blast wave energy transmitted through the layer of the first material, and (iii) a third attenuating-region having a third inelastic response to the incident air blast wave energy transmitted through the layer of the first material.
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17. The device of claim 1, further comprising:
a label indicating use of the device is limited to exposure to a single instance of an air blast wave energy.
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18. The device of claim 1, further comprising:
an indicator configured to provide a human-perceivable indication that the device has been exposed to an air blast wave energy.
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19. The device of claim 1, further comprising:
a spall liner shaped and configured to restrain at least one fragment broken from the layer of the first material by the incident air blast wave energy.
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20. The device of claim 1, further comprising:
a layer of ballistic material shaped and configured to substantially attenuate energy of an object impacting the exterior portion of the human body.
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21. The device of claim 20, wherein the layer of the first material includes a front surface and a back surface, the layer of the second material includes a front surface and a back surface, the layer of a ballistic material includes a front surface and a back surface, at least a portion of the back surface of the layer of the ballistic material is proximate to the front surface of the layer of the first material, and at least a portion of the back surface of the layer of the first material is proximate to at least a portion of the front surface of the second material.
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22. The device of claim 1, further comprising:
a retaining apparatus configured to hold the proximate layer of a first material and the layer of the second material adjacent to the exterior portion of the human body.
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23. A method comprising:
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interposing between a high-order blast event generating an air blast wave energy and an exterior portion of a human body (a) a layer of a first material shaped and configured to reflect a substantial portion of incident air blast wave energy, the first material having an acoustic impedance substantially mismatched to the acoustic impedance of air; (b) a layer of a second material shaped and configured to attenuate utilizing an inelastic response to a substantial portion of the incident air blast wave energy transmitted through the layer of the first material, and shaped and configured for wearing proximate to an exterior portion of a human body, the second material including at least two attenuating-regions, the at least two attenuating-regions including (i) a first attenuating-region having a first inelastic response to the incident air blast wave energy transmitted through the layer of the first material, the first attenuating-region comprising a first yield stress, and (ii) a second attenuating-region having a second inelastic response to the incident air blast wave energy transmitted through the layer of the first material, the second attenuating-region comprising a second yield stress, wherein the ratio of the first yield stress divided by the second yield stress is greater than 1, wherein the layer of the first material includes a front surface and a back surface, the layer of the second material includes a front surface and a back surface, and at least a portion of the back surface of the layer of the first material is proximate to at least a portion of the front surface of the layer of the second material.
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24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:
reflecting a substantial portion of the incident air blast wave energy utilizing the layer of the first material.
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25. The method of claim 23, further comprising:
attenuating a substantial portion of the incident air blast wave energy transmitted through the layer of the first material utilizing the inelastic response of the layer of the second material.
Specification