Abstract: According to exemplary inventive practice, a personal armor system includes a textile-based layer not exceeding ½-half-inch thickness, and an elastomeric coating not exceeding ?-inch thickness. The textile-based layer includes a fiber reinforcement and a resin binder. The combined areal density of the textile-based layer and the elastomeric coating does not exceed 2.5 psf. According to a first mode of inventive practice, the elastomeric coating is essentially a strain-rate-sensitivity-hardening elastomer, and the areal density of the textile-based layer does not exceed 2.3 psf. According to a second mode of inventive practice, the elastomeric coating is essentially a microparticle-filled strain-rate-sensitivity-hardening elastomeric matrix material, and the areal density of the textile-based layer does not exceed 1.7 psf. The microparticles (e.g., spherical glass microparticles) do not exceed, by weight, 30 percent of the strain-rate-sensitivity-hardening elastomeric matrix material.

Abstract: According to exemplary inventive practice, a personal armor system includes a textile-based layer not exceeding ½-half-inch thickness, and an elastomeric coating not exceeding ?-inch thickness. The textile-based layer includes a fiber reinforcement and a resin binder. The combined areal density of the textile-based layer and the elastomeric coating does not exceed 2.5 psf. According to a first mode of inventive practice, the elastomeric coating is essentially a strain-rate-sensitivity-hardening elastomer, and the areal density of the textile-based layer does not exceed 2.3 psf. According to a second mode of inventive practice, the elastomeric coating is essentially a microparticle-filled strain-rate-sensitivity-hardening elastomeric matrix material, and the areal density of the textile-based layer does not exceed 1.7 psf. The microparticles (e.g., spherical glass microparticles) do not exceed, by weight, 30 percent of the strain-rate-sensitivity-hardening elastomeric matrix material.

Abstract: Exemplary inventive practice provides a structure that is attributed with superior resistance to loading. For example, an inventive structure includes two coaxial axisymmetric (e.g., cylindrical) shells and a granulation-filled matrix material occupying the peripheral space between the shells. According to some inventive embodiments, the granulation-filled matrix material has a loading-responsive matrix (e.g., shear-thickening fluid or highly rate-sensitive polymer) and granules dispersed therein. When the inventive structure encounters pressure loading at its exterior shell, the consistency of the loading-responsive matrix becomes thicker or firmer and thereby promotes, among the granules, interactive mechanisms (e.g., friction and/or arching) that reinforce the granulation-filled matrix material.

Abstract: A composite panel includes a ballistic fabric strike surface layer and an underlying structural armor plate layer. The structural armor plate layer is corrugated and includes a multiplicity of traversing ports. The traversing ports have sufficient lateral area to allow explosive blast deformation of the ballistic fabric through the structural armor plate layer. By selecting both relative port traversing void area and corrugation angle an effective projectile blockage is achieved. The composite shield is particularly effective in protecting personnel. Blast frequencies in the 1000 to 3000 Hz Cooper Injury Range component of the blast wave spectrum are attenuated. The panel has projectile shredding properties and has improved structural stability.

Abstract: A composite shield comprises a panel including an outer ballistic fabric strike surface layer and an inner structural armor plate layer. The structural armor plate layer has a multiplicity of traversing ports. The traversing ports have sufficient lateral area to allow deformation of the ballistic fabric through the structural armor plate layer on the occurrence of explosive blast. The composite shield is particularly effective in protecting personnel. Blast frequencies in the damaging 1000 to 3000 Hz range are attenuated.

Abstract: A composite shield comprises a panel including an outer thin metallic strike surface layer, a highly strain rate hardening polymer layer and an inner structural armor plate layer. The structural armor plate layer has a multiplicity of traversing ports. The traversing ports have sufficient lateral area to allow deformation of the thin metallic strike surface layer and highly strain rate hardening polymer layer through the structural armor plate layer on the occurrence of explosive blast.

Abstract: The present invention's stratified composite system of armor, as typically embodied, comprises a backing stratum and a strike stratum that includes elastomeric matrix material and low-density ceramic elements embedded therein and arranged (e.g., in one or more rows and one or more columns) along a geometric plane (or plural parallel geometric planes) corresponding to the front surface of the strike stratum. Some inventive embodiments also comprise a spall-containment stratum fronting the strike stratum. The density of the low-density ceramic material is in the approximate range 2.0-3.0 g/cm3. In the strike stratum, the volume ratio of the low-density ceramic material to the elastomeric matrix material is in the approximate range 4-20.

Abstract: A metallic glass particle layer is applied to aluminum alloy armor and friction stir mixed into the surface in order to embed the material into the armor and to take advantage of its exceptional hardness. An advantage of the invention is that the hard material is an integral part of the armor, included within the body of the armor plate and not merely a surface coating. The advantage of the friction stir process is that it generates relatively low levels of heat and magnetic measurements show that the amorphous phase condition of the metallic glass is not deteriorated. The armor may be tempered to improve properties.

Abstract: The present invention's stratified composite system of armor, as typically embodied, comprises a backing stratum and a strike stratum that includes elastomeric matrix material and low-density ceramic elements embedded therein and arranged (e.g., in one or more rows and one or more columns) along a geometric plane (or plural parallel geometric planes) corresponding to the front surface of the strike stratum. Some inventive embodiments also comprise a spall-containment stratum fronting the strike stratum. The density of the low-density ceramic material is in the approximate range 2.0-3.0 g/cm3. In the strike stratum, the volume ratio of the low-density ceramic material to the elastomeric matrix material is in the approximate range 4-20.

Abstract: According to typical inventive practice, an armor structure includes n?1 highly-rate-sensitive elastomeric layers and n+1?2 metallic layers, alternately configured. Each metallic layer is electrically connected to a power supply that includes, e.g., battery(ies) and/or supercapacitor(s). Each adjacent pair of metallic layers sandwiches a highly-rate-sensitive elastomeric layer and forms, with the power supply, an uncompleted electrical circuit. A high-velocity projectile that penetratively encroaches upon a highly-rate-sensitive elastomeric layer is subjected to electrical current by virtue of completion of the uncompleted circuit that includes the two sandwiching metallic layers. The circuit is completed by physical (and hence, electrical) contact, bridging the two sandwiching metallic layers, of the projectile and/or its plasma sheath (which at least partially surrounds the projectile's outside surface due to friction between the projectile and the highly-rate-sensitive elastomeric layer).

Abstract: A multi-layer armor comprises: an outer composite spaced from an inner composite. The outer composite comprises (a.) a high strength strike surface layer, (b.) a high strain rate sensitivity-hardening polymer and (c.) a second high strength layer. The inner composite comprises spaced silica glass layers, an acrylic glass layer and a spall liner. In one embodiment the armor is transparent and used to shield a vehicle windshield. In a second embodiment the armor is opaque and is attached to vehicle base armor. The armor may also be applied to a ship. The armor uses commercially available components, is relative inexpensive and is effective.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a lightweight barrier and armor materials and, ore particularly, to a method of using a syntactic foam for protecting a desired portion of a fixed structure (e.g., building) or movable structure (e.g., armored vehicle or ship) from ballistic impact. The method of the present invention includes the following steps: (1) providing a mold defining therein a predetermined shape or an enclosed space in a fixed or movable structure; (2) providing a mixture of between about 40 percent and about 80 percent by volume of microspheres and between about 60 percent and about 20 percent by volume of an uncured binder material; (3) pouring the mixture into the mold; (4) curing the mixture to form a syntactic foam barrier material in the form of the predetermined shape; and (5) placing the barrier material in a relationship with the structure to be protected wherein the desired portion of the structure is protected from ballistic impact.

Abstract: A process for gasifying finely-divided coal in a fixed bed gasifier, the process comprising: charging finely-divided coal to a stirred semi-fluidized carbonizer reaction zone where the coal is contacted with oxygen and agglomerated into coal derived particulate solids of a size suitable as a feedstock to a fixed bed gasifer and thereafter passed to a fixed bed gasifer.

Abstract: A process for producing a feedstock for a fixed bed gasifier from finely-divided coal by treating the coal in a first stirred semi-fluidized carbonizer reaction zone to produce particulate coal derived solids larger than the finely-divided coal charged to the first carbonizer and thereafter charging the particulate coal derived solids so produced to a second stirred semi-fluidized carbonizer reaction zone to produce particulate coal derived solids of a size consist greater than 1/4 inch which is charged to a fixed bed gasifier.

Abstract: A method for producing agglomerate particles from finely divided carbonaceous solids by mixing the solids with oil in an aqueous medium in a first mixing zone; passing the mixture to a second mixing zone; and mixing an additional quantity of finely divided carbonaceous solids with the mixture in the second mixing zone.

Abstract: In a process for agglomerating finely divided carbonaceous solids from an aqueous slurry containing from about 10 to 40 weight percent finely divided solids comprising finely divided carbonaceous solids and finely divided inorganic solids, comprising:(a) mixing the slurry with an amount of oil to produce agglomerates of the carbonaceous solids containing from about 10 to 15 weight percent oil; and,(b) recovering the agglomerates as a product,an improvement comprising:(c) admixing oil in an amount of about 40 to 70 weight percent based on the weight of finely divided solids with the slurry to produce a mixture; and,(d) mixing clean, finely divided carbonaceous solids with the mixture to produce agglomerates containing from about 12 to about 15 weight percent oil,whereby an aqueous slurry containing finely divided carbonaceous solids which do not agglomerate upon the addition of from about 10 to 30 weight percent oil can be agglomerated.