EP3537092A1

EP3537092A1 - Anti-explosion ballistic glazing for vehicular application

Info

Publication number: EP3537092A1
Application number: EP19161772.9A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Fernando Alonso Lazzari; Edson Maury Yoshikuma
Original assignee: Pg Products Ind Com De Vidros Ltda
Current assignee: Pg Products Ind Com De Vidros Ltda
Priority date: 2018-03-09
Filing date: 2019-03-08
Publication date: 2019-09-11
Also published as: BR102018004728A2; MX2019002807A; BR102018004728B1

Abstract

This invention concerns anti-explosion ballistic glazing (1), for application preferably to moveable and/or fixed windows of highway, military, and/or off-road vehicles, and agricultural machinery, which comprises an external surface (2) facing the external part of the vehicle or passenger compartment, an internal surface (3) facing the internal part of the vehicle, a combination of at least two sheets (4, 5, 6, 10) and at least two intermediate layers (7, 8, 9) of different materials positioned between the external surface (2) and the internal surface (3), and a chamfer (Y) arranged in parts or along the perimeter of the glazing (1) providing space for the full or partial housing of an overlap (12), which is designed to apply reaction forces to the explosion waves, keeping the glazing (1) in its housing, in addition to facilitating its manufacture, dispensing with the inconveniences of manufacturing a counter-piece and, further, facilitating the installation thereof in the vehicle, requiring fewer adjustments and controls.

Description

The present invention refers to bullet-proof glazing or anti-explosion ballistic glass, preferably for application to moveable and/or fixed windows of highway, military and/or off-road vehicles, and agricultural machinery.

Description of the state of the art

With the continued increase in levels of violence around the world and, particularly, in the adoption of long guns by criminals and the use of explosives by terrorists, the simple use of conventional bullet-proof glass no longer ensures adequate protection.
Regardless of the level of ballistic resistance adopted for a given application, the safety and survival of the occupants of the bullet-proofed passenger compartment of a vehicle depend on mobility, which is to say, once an attack has started, with each additional assault, the bulletproofing becomes increasingly compromised. In this context, escape from the site becomes imperative.
Vehicular bullet-proofing involves the protection of the passenger compartment and vital parts of a vehicle, which must ensure the opportunity of escape and/or removal from the site of the attack. This escape must occur without the perforation or penetration of the protection of the passenger compartment and in conditions that allow the vehicle to move away without risk of fire.
The armoring process, based on a prior design, involves the total armoring of the passenger compartment and the partial armoring of other critical parts that could prevent an escape, the armoring consisting of the application of bullet-proof components and/or materials, combining transparent elements, such as glass, and opaque elements, such as steel and pads.
In case of an attack involving the use of explosives, of dozens of possible types, such as Pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), Trinitrotoluene (TNT), Nitroglycerin, in addition to energy and heat, depending on the speed of the detonation, a pressure wave is produced followed by a counter-pressure. In other words, the first wave produces a force against the armoring, initially forcing the exposed constituents towards the inside of the passenger compartment, and then a suction force occurs, separating and pulling out the more vulnerable components of the armoring.
As with conventional armoring, as a rule, the glass or glazing is fixed by means of a chemical adhesive (glue) subject to degradation and loss of performance over time, and which, as the result of an explosion, tends to loosen, initially being pushed inside the compartment and then sucked out of it, causing damage to the occupants and, at the same time, rendering the armoring vulnerable or useless, since the occupants become wholly exposed to attack from any type of weapon, whether a firearm or otherwise.
The state of the art, in particular the documents EP0890467 , EP1331468 and EP2988089 , already encompasses solutions to counteract attacks through explosives positioned externally to the armored vehicle, seeking to keep the components in their original positions of assembly.
The existing solutions, particularly for the glazed areas, combine "adaptations" both to the assembly components (glazing) and the structure itself of the application or vehicle, such as the use and application of "overlaps", generally of highly resistant metallic material, such as "steel", and/or through the use of specially manufactured frames, firmly installed in the application or vehicle.
Bullet-proof glazing for application to vehicles basically consists of a layer (sheet) of external glass, a transparent plastic material and a plastic of higher resistance as a final internal layer, and may, depending on the level of bullet-proof resistance desired, present other different inclusions and combinations of materials.
These different combinations or juxtapositions of materials, known as "ballistic compositions", resulting from different materials of different thicknesses of layers, classes of resistance and specific weights per square meter, among others, may result in numerous constructions.
The explosion-proof ballistic glazing which currently exists on the market presents a construction where the fitting of a counter-piece or overlap rigidly fixed to the body of the vehicle, occurs through a groove in the glazing, which is to say, through a recess, whose width results from the sum of the thicknesses of one or more absent materials, and the depth of this groove results from how small these constituent materials are cut.
In the explosion-proof glazing which currently exists, both the position of the groove or recess in relation to the external pane, and the dimension of its own width, depend on and are limited by the thicknesses of the constituent layers and/or panes, which are reduced in the region of the recess such that it comes into existence.
In the application and/or installation of conventional explosion-proof glazing, the manufacture of the overlap requires special attention both in relation to the dimensions and tolerances of the positional dimensions of the groove, and to its width, and also depends on the correct and exact installation of the overlap on the vehicle, at the risk of the occurrence of a divergence, misalignment, gap or even interference, impairing the assembly process.

Objectives of the Invention

The objective of this invention is to provide ballistic glazing with a chamfer from the 1^st internal pane of glass, this being adjacent to the external pane, said chamfer covering all the internal components of the glass until it reaches the final most internal pane of glass, into which it is affixed, facing towards the internal part of the glazing or passenger compartment, in a layer of plastic material. This construction is intended for the installation and fixing of glazing with a window function in any of the transparent areas of a vehicle, providing perfect closing, sealing the compartment against the entry of water, dust, airflow, and shocks, and providing ballistic protection at the required level, as well as ensuring that the glazing does not detach, whether it be moveable (sliding) or fixed, both for the interior of the compartment and/or for the exterior of the vehicle.

Brief Description of the Invention

This invention concerns anti-explosion ballistic glazing for application to a vehicle with characteristics of resistance to the effects of explosive charges positioned externally to the vehicle, creating an external surface turned towards the external part of a vehicle and an internal surface facing the internal part of the vehicle, the glazing comprising a combination of sheets of different materials and intermediate layers positioned between the sheets, comprising at least one more external sheet, at least one intermediate sheet, a more internal sheet and an intermediate layer immediately adjacent to the most internal sheet, the glazing comprising a chamfer in the region which excludes the more external sheet, the more internal sheet and the intermediate layer immediately adjacent to the more internal layer, the chamfer creating a retaining angle facing the internal surface of the glazing.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The present invention will be described in more detail below based on an example of execution represented in the drawings. The figures show:

Figure 1 - a schematic view of the anti-explosion ballistic glazing;
Figure 2 - a detailed view of the Z-Z cross-section represented in figure 1;
Figure 3 - an expanded detailed view of figure 2;
Figure 4 - a schematic cross-section view of an overlap installed in a glazing set;
Figure 5 - an expanded detailed view of figure 4;
Figure 6 - a schematic cross-section view of the position of an overlap in a set of glazing, before the overlap is inserted above.

Detailed Description of the Drawings

Figures 1 to 6 illustrate an example of the execution of the ballistic glazing in accordance with the present invention.
Referring to figure 1, an example of vehicular glazing 1 is illustrated where the external points A, B, C and D originate the segments AB, BC, CD and DA, which define and constitute the external perimeter of the glazing 1 of the present invention. The points A, B, C and D are represented generically, in a side view, in figures 2 and 3, by reference X.
Also in figure 1, for the internal direction of the glazing 1, corresponding to the external points A, B, C and D, the respective vertices of an angle α are presented, identified as points A', B', C' and D', whose segments A'B', B'C' and C'D' form the perimeter or base line of a chamfer Y. The points A', B', C' and D' are represented generically, in a side view, in figures 2 and 3, by reference X'.
In figure 1, for the internal direction of the glazing 1, corresponding to the external points A, B, C and D, the respective points of concordance A", B", C" and D" of the chamfer Y with the last internal sheet 6 of the glazing 1 are presented. The points A", B", C" and D" are represented generically, in a side view, in figures 2 and 3, by reference X".
The segments defined between the points A"B", B"C", C"D" and D"A" characterize the perimeter of the more internal sheet 6 of the glazing 1 of the present invention.
The points A"', B"', C"' and D"' are positioned on the edges of the final and most internal of the plastic materials 10, whose segments A"'B"', B"'C"', C"'D"' and D"'A"' form the internal perimeter of the ballistic package. The points A'", B"', C'" and D'" are represented generically, in a side view, in figures 2 and 3, by reference X"', where the positions of the points A"', B"', C'" and D'" correspond to the points A, B, C and D of figure 1.
Moreover, figure 1 presents the sliding and/or contact surfaces or regions I, III and closure surface or region II, in the external 2 and internal 11 surfaces of the external sheet 4.
The sliding surfaces I, III, both on the external face 2 and on the internal face 11 of the external layer 4, serve the purpose of keeping the glass 1 in the frame and guides of the vehicle, performing the function of lowering and raising, which is to say, opening, closing, setting, and sealing.
Figure 1 presents a generic ballistic composition comprising an external sheet 4 of glass, an intermediate sheet 5 of glass, an internal sheet 6 of glass, an internal sheet 10 of plastic with an internal surface 3 facing the interior of the vehicle or passenger compartment, and intermediate layers 7, 8, 9 of plastic, which are positioned between the sheets 4, 5, 6, 10.
The internal sheet 10 is manufactured from a rigid plastic, such as a polycarbonate, while the intermediate layers 7, 8, 9 are manufactured from flexible plastic of two or more different types.
In figure 2, the angle of retention α, taken from the vertex X" and the internal surface 11 of the external sheet 4, results in the chamfer Y having wedge shape. The angle of retention α varies between 30° and 60°, being preferably equal to 45°.
Considering the chamfer Y in figure 1, based on points A', B', C' and D' comprising the segments A'B', B'C' and C'D', it results in a volumetric region or space to be totally or partially filled or occupied by an overlap 12 of the vehicle.
Figures 4 and 5 illustrate in detail the glazing set 1, the steel overlap 12 rigidly fixed to the body of the vehicle and the cradle, body of the vehicle and/or support (overlap) 13 of the armoring of the vehicle where the glazing 1 and synthetic sealing material, dust-retainer are accommodated, fixed and/or supported.
In a first preferential constructive configuration, the glazing 1 comprises the chamfer Y, formed by the angle of retention α, along its entire intermediate internal perimeter, formed by the segments A"B" and C"D" which correspond to its lateral semi-perimeter, right and left, and by the segment B"C" which corresponds to its upper semi-perimeter.
Alternatively, in a second preferential constructive configuration the glazing 1 comprises the chamfer Y, formed by the angle of retention α, only along its lateral intermediate internal perimeter, formed by the segments A"B" and C"D", which is to say, alongside the columns which allow for the sliding, raising and lowering, enabling the closing and opening of the glazing 1.
The overlap 12 comprises a dual function: ballistic for retention of projectiles and mechanical for retention of the anti-explosion glazing 1.
In glazing 1 equipped with a recess, or "back set", the ballistic function consists of providing support in the fitting region of the application, which region is of lesser thickness, retaining the projectile in case of potential perforation of the external sheet 4 or more external sheets, if they exist.
The overlap 12 fixed in the application or vehicle in the regions of the sliding I, III and closing II surfaces, may be comprised of a single part or of segments, at the discretion of the design of the anti-explosion armoring.
Figure 6 illustrates the overlap 12 before being inserted into the glazing 1, in an assembly position.
It is important to note that the ballistic composition of the glazing 1 may comprise different materials, in different orders and/or positions of application, such that the present invention seeks the construction of the chamfer Y formed by the angle of retention α. The solution presented by the present invention is applicable to any ballistic composition or solution, regardless of the materials, their sequence of application, individual thicknesses or even final resultant thickness.
Moreover, the solution of the present invention may be applied to moveable or fixed glazing 1.
The anti-explosion function consists of the mechanical retention of the glazing 1 in its position and/or housing when struck by the shock waves, at the moment of the action, where the waves tend to push the glazing 1 against and/or into the application or vehicle, just as in the reaction, when the waves suck the glazing 1 out of the application or vehicle, where the overlap 12 will act in the opposite direction to the waves and/or forces applied, keeping the glass 1 in its position.
The present invention, due to the fact that it allows for the retention of the explosion-proof glazing 1 by means of a chamfer Y, also facilitates its manufacture, dispensing with the inconveniences of the manufacture of the counter-piece and, furthermore, facilitates the installation thereof in the vehicle, requiring fewer adjustments and controls.
Having described an example of the preferred materialization, it should be understood that the scope of the present invention encompasses other possible variations, being limited only by the contents of the attached claims, with the possible equivalents being thereby included.

Claims

Anti-explosion ballistic glazing (1) for vehicular application, defining an external surface (2) facing the external part of a vehicle and an internal surface (3) facing the internal part of the vehicle, the glazing (1) comprising a combination of sheets (4, 5, 6, 10) of different materials and intermediate layers (7, 8, 9) positioned between the sheets (4, 5, 6, 10), comprising at least one more external sheet (4), at least one intermediate sheet (5, 6), a more internal sheet (10) and an intermediate layer (9) immediately adjacent to the more internal sheet (10), characterized by the fact that it is provided a chamfer (Y) in the region which excludes the more external sheet (4), the more internal sheet (10) and the intermediate layer (9) immediately adjacent to the more internal sheet (10), the chamfer (Y) defining an angle of retention (α) oriented to the internal surface (3) of the glazing (1).
Anti-explosion ballistic glazing (1) in accordance with claim 1, characterized by the fact that the chamfer (Y) comprises a wedge shape.
Anti-explosion ballistic glazing (1) in accordance with claim 1, characterized by the fact that the angle of retention (α) varies between 30° and 60°, being preferably equal to 45°.
Anti-explosion ballistic glazing (1) in accordance with claim 1, characterized by the fact that the chamfer (Y) is located in part of the perimeter of the glazing (1).
Anti-explosion ballistic glazing (1) in accordance with claim 1, characterized by the fact that the chamfer (Y) is located in the entire perimeter of the glazing (1).