ARMOURED VEHICLE

Abstract

An armored vehicle is provided having an armored driver's cab (2, 3) with a lower armored portion (2) and a chassis including a pair of longitudinally extending rails (18, 19). The lower armored portion of the cab (2) is structurally integral with the rails (18, 19) whereby to form an integral part of the chassis.

Description

This invention relates to armored vehicles and in particular to a means of construction of an armored vehicle.

Directions such as “upper”, “lower”, “forward” and “rearward” are intended to refer to such directions with the vehicle in its normal orientation for use and are to be construed accordingly.

Armored vehicles are normally used for military or policing duties where occupants of the vehicle are liable to attack from rival forces or demonstrators or the like. Vehicle armor varies in thickness and composition according to the perceived level of threat. Steel plate of varying thickness, hardness and other metallic properties is most commonly used. Additionally, carbon fibre composites are known to be used, usually in addition to the metal plate, to prevent the vehicle occupants from injury from certain types of impact on the armor.

It will be appreciated that armor, at least when it is in the form of metal plate, can add very considerably to the weight of the vehicle. This can adversely affect vehicle performance. For example, vehicle payload will be reduced; performance and manoeuvrability will be adversely affected and fuel consumption will be increased. A known type of armored vehicle has a conventional 2-rail chassis with an armored cab mounted to the top of the rails. Such a design is heavy and somewhat unwieldy.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an armored vehicle of improved construction.

According to the invention there is provided an armored vehicle having a driver's cab with a lower armored portion and a chassis including a longitudinally extending rail, wherein the lower armored portion is structurally integral with the rail whereby to form an integral part of the chassis. The chassis will normally include two rails spaced laterally of the vehicle.

This construction provides a structurally efficient chassis for the vehicle with the innate strength and rigidity of the armor combining with the chassis rail or rails to provide a strong and rigid whole.

The lower armored portion preferably extends along the rail or rails, usually thereabove, in order to increase rigidity of the chassis.

Where the lower armored portion and rails are of mutually weldable material, such as mild steel, they may be welded together for efficient load transfer and for rigidity.

The lower armored portion may abut an end of the rail or rails and may, again, be welded for strength and rigidity.

The lower armored portion may include a floor which may have a footwell. In this case the rail or rails may extend underneath the floor and abut the footwell at the end of the rail or rails.

In one embodiment the footwell may provide a lower forward extremity to the vehicle adapted directly to contact obstacles encountered in forward motion by the cab of the vehicle before being encountered by wheels thereof and to enable a front portion of the vehicle to ride over the obstacle until engaged by wheels of the vehicle. Large boulders or sudden steep hills can be encountered by off-road vehicles and can hit the bodywork before the wheels reach them. For these occasions the footwell acts to lever the vehicle upwardly until the wheels reach the obstacle and climb over or up it.

In one embodiment the chassis includes two said rails structurally attached in spaced relationship to a tubular transmission tunnel and coextending therewith, the tunnel being adapted to provide torsional stiffness to the chassis. In a preferred embodiment the vehicle has two rails disposed horizontally and longitudinally of the vehicle in spaced apart relationship with the transmission tunnel disposed between them and somewhat below. Butterfly arms may extend outwardly from the tunnel into contact with the rails in order to transmit the torsional loads between the rails and tunnel.

The transmission tunnel may include a buffer at a forward extremity thereof positioned to contact a said obstacle sequentially with the footwell whereby to facilitate passage of the vehicle over the obstacle. In the embodiment described in the above paragraph the footwell will encounter the obstacle first with the buffer then contacting the obstacle to continue to guide it over the obstacle until the wheels engage the obstacle. A smooth transition between the footwell and the buffer is preferred with the buffer preferably positioned behind and immediately below the footwell.

The lower armored portion of the cab may include seating and controls for at least engine, steering, brakes and gears of the vehicle, the cab including a removable optionally armored element, wherein the removable element may be removed without disturbing the seating and controls.

The removable optionally armored element of the cab may be fully armored to complement the lower armored portion of the cab or it may be unarmored for use when there is insufficient threat to the occupants of the vehicle to warrant armored protection.

Because the removable element can be removed without disturbing the seating and controls, the removable element may be removed and replaced with an element of different design, if required, in a relatively straightforward manner. If the removable element of the cab comprises an upper element thereof, this upper element may be changed by simply removing it from the lower armored portion by lifting it off the lower armored portion and dropping a replacement removable element into position. In this way a vehicle, according to the invention, may be converted from a fully armored condition to a relatively unarmored condition in, say, a matter of, at most, a few hours. This will then allow use at higher speed, over more rugged terrain and possibly over greater distances without refuelling, with the additional option of a greater payload being carried.

It can thus be envisaged, for example, that a vehicle according to the invention may be used in its relatively unarmored condition for transporting materials or personnel to the battlefront region. Once these duties are accomplished it may be subjected to a rapid conversion, conveniently overnight, into a fully armored condition ready for use at the battlefront the following day.

For policing roles in unstable political conditions, the vehicle of the invention may be used with a non-armored removable cab element for quieter periods and rapidly converted to a fully armored condition should hostilities break out. It will be appreciated that to provide non-armored and fully armored alternative vehicles for differing political conditions would be prohibitively expensive. The vehicle of the invention allows a single vehicle to be used for widely differing conditions with minimal additional cost by providing differing removable elements for the cab.

Preferably, the lower armored portion includes at least a floor of the cab and may include a forward bulkhead and optionally rear and/or at least one side wall of the cab. The forward bulkhead can conveniently comprise external bodywork of the vehicle. In this way, the removable element of the cab may be an upper element thereof and may be simply dropped into position on the lower armored portion.

The removable element may be armored, non-armored or partially armored.

In one embodiment, the removable element is joined to the lower armored portion in a generally horizontal plane level with a base of windows for the cab. In this embodiment windscreen pillars may be included in the removable element to enable a unitary upper cab structure which includes a windscreen and which may be appropriately reinforced to withstand rollover impact loads.

The invention will now be described by way of example with regard to the accompanying drawings of which:—

FIG. 1 is a forward perspective view of an armored vehicle according to the invention with load container attached;

FIG. 2 shows the vehicle of FIG. 1 without the load container and with a removable element raised from lower armored portion of the vehicle;

FIG. 3 is a forward perspective view of an armored vehicle chassis including lower armored portion;

FIG. 4 is an underneath perspective view of a forward portion of the vehicle chassis of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of a wheeled chassis as shown in FIG. 2, without seats, and

FIG. 6 is a detail, in perspective, of a chassis cross member.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, an armored vehicle according to the invention is shown having a driver's cab 1 comprising a lower armored portion 2 and a removable element in the form of an upper cab 3. The vehicle is a six wheeled all wheel drive cross country vehicle designed primarily for military and police usage. A similar vehicle with four wheels only may be used with substantially the same chassis and transmission tunnel, shortened appropriately. The vehicle is designed to be extremely versatile, having a two-railed chassis 4 adapted to support load carrying modules 5 of differing design. The version shown in FIG. 1 is of a shape suitable for carrying animals such as police or military dogs. Variants for transporting personnel such as troops and equipment and weapons are available. The load carrying module 5 is designed to be rapidly removed from the chassis for rapid conversion of the vehicle to alternative usage.

The driver's cab 1 is shown assembled in FIG. 1 and with the upper cab raised in FIG. 2. The lower armored portion is shown in detail in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. Referring particularly to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the lower armored portion, in the form of a lower cab portion 2, is shown as having a cab floor 7, a forward bulkhead 8 and rear and side walls 9 and 10, respectively. The forward bulkhead 8 conveniently forms part of forward bodywork 11 for the vehicle.

The tower cab 2 defines a connection plane 12 between the upper cab 3 and itself at a base 13 of windows 14 and 15 of the cab.

The lower armored portion comprises steel armored plate of between 4 and 6 millimetres thickness and is integral with the chassis 4. The lower armored portion thus includes seam welded connections 16, 17 to chassis rails 18, 19, respectively. Seam welds 16 and 17 extend from upper edges 20, 21 of the chassis rails to forward ends 22 (left hand shown only) of the chassis rails and continue down the forward ends to weld the rails to a rear wall 80 of a footwell 31 of the lower cab portion 2.

The lower cab portion also comprises, when the vehicle is in use, an armored engine cover 23. The engine cover provides protection for the occupants of the cab from the effects of mines or other attacks from below the vehicle. An armored radiator duct 24 acts to narrow a frontal opening in the lower armored portion which would otherwise offer vulnerability of the cab occupants to attack from the front of the vehicle. FIG. 3 shows how the radiator duct narrows the frontal opening into the vehicle to an area which will be substantially occupied by the engine (not shown) of the vehicle in any event.

Referring to FIG. 1, doors 25 can extend armored protection for the occupants up to the base 13 of the windows if armor is selected for the doors. Doors of any desired armored capability may therefore be fitted to the lower armored portion 2 according to the level of threat. It is envisaged however that non-armored doors would be fitted to the lower armored portion when a non-armored upper cab 3 were to be used.

It will be noted that a forward bumper 26 is attachable directly to the lower cab portion 2 via brackets 27, 28 (see FIG. 4). Recovery loads or towing loads of the vehicle may be transmitted from shackles 29, 30 through the bumper 26, the brackets 27, 28 and the footwell 31 of the lower cab portion 2 into the chassis rails 18 and 19, and thence to wheels of the vehicle via a series of butterfly beams 32, 33, 34, 35 and an all wheel drive transmission tunnel 36 to which the butterflies are connected and thence to the wheels by wheel axles 37, 38. Only the front two axles are shown in FIG. 4.

The upper cab 3 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In both cases the upper cab illustrated is of a non armored construction. As can be seen most clearly in FIG. 2, the upper cab 3 connects to the lower cab portion 2 at bases of windscreen pillars 39 and 40 and, in generally the same horizontal connection plane 12, along an upper edge 41 of rear and side walls 9, 10 of the lower cab portion 2 (see FIG. 3). Connection is via locating dowels (not shown) on the upper edge 41 which engage apertures 42, 43 in a lower edge 44 and pillar ends 45, 46, respectively of the upper cab 3. The upper cab 3 is secured in position via bolts (not shown). Two forward bolts engage forward holes 47, 48 (left hand only shown) in an upper flange 49 via through-bored holes 52, 53 in the windscreen pillar 40 (similarly for the right hand side). The upper cab 3 is also secured to the lower cab portion 2 via two lugs 54, 55 in the lower cab portion. These engage with the upper cab 3 via 4 bolts passing therethrough into holes 56, 57 (right hand side only shown) of the upper cab. The lower windscreen pillar connections and lug connections described are particularly strong in order to withstand roll over loads for the vehicle.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing that the upper cab 3 may be removed from the lower cab portion 2 simply by withdrawing the bolts engaging the holes as previously described. It will be further appreciated that removal of the upper cab need not involve the disengagement of any electrical connections or removal of any pipework or the like as all major vehicle controls and seats are attached to the vehicle via the lower cab portion 2.

A fully armored upper cab may be attached to the lower cab portion 2 in the same manner as the non-armored upper cab described above. Armor may be assembled as an upper cab of the same configuration as the non armored upper cab illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The load carrying module 5 may be attached to the chassis rails 18, 19 in a conventional bolted manner or may utilise quick release attachments of a known kind.

It will be appreciated that the lower armored portion 2 and the other chassis members 18, 19, 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36 combine, structurally, to provide an extremely compact, rigid and robust chassis for the vehicle of the invention. The lower armored portion 2 is of a fully welded construction and is thus inherently extremely rigid and strong. Where the lower armored portion is structurally connected to the chassis rails by welding them directly together, the height of the cab above the ground may be reduced, when compared to a conventional design. This allows the cab to be lower and the handling to be improved. Additional torsional rigidity is provided to the chassis by cross members 77, 78. It will be appreciated from the configuration shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 that a load carrying module may extend downwardly between the chassis rails 18, 19 in the region behind the cross member 77. This allows additional height within the load module, particularly to act as a footwell when personnel are being carried therein.

FIG. 6 illustrates the arrangement of the chassis in the region of the cross member 77. The cross member 77 is shown having an upper flange 82, an apertured boom 84 and a lower flange 86. It will be noted that the lower flange 86 faces rearwardly to provide structure for a load module to rest upon. The lower flange 86 is cut away around further bracing 90. Further bracing between the rails is provided by strut 88. It will be noted that an unobstructed space 92 exists between the rails to the rear of the cross member 77. This space can be used, for example, as a footwell for personnel if the load module is designed to carry personnel.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, an arrangement of the footwell 31 of the lower armored portion 2 of the cab and a buffer 94 affixed to a forward end of the transmission tunnel 36 is shown. It can be seen, particularly from FIG. 5, is that an obstacle 96, about to be encountered by the vehicle, will first strike the footwell 31 and subsequently the buffer 94, before the wheels engage it and enable the vehicle to ride over the obstacle.

Claims

1. An armored vehicle having a driver's cab with a lower armored portion and a chassis including a longitudinally extending rail, wherein the lower armored portion is structurally integral with the rail whereby to form an integral part of the chassis.

2. An armored vehicle as in claim 1 in which the chassis includes two rails.

3. An armored vehicle as in claim 1 in which the lower armored portion extends along the rail.

4. An armored vehicle as in claim 3 in which the lower armored portion extends above the rail.

5. An armored vehicle as in claim 1 in which the lower armored portion abuts an end of the rail.

6. An armored vehicle as in claim 5 in which the lower armored portion includes a floor having a footwell.

7. An armored vehicle as in claim 6 in which the rail extends underneath the floor and abuts the footwell at the end of the rail.

8. An armored vehicle as in claim 7 in which the footwell provides a lower forward extremity to the vehicle adapted directly to contact obstacles encountered in forward motion by the cab of the vehicle before being encountered by wheels thereof and to enable a front portion of the vehicle to ride over the obstacle.

9. An armored vehicle as in claim 8 in which the chassis includes two said rails structurally attached in spaced relationship to a tubular transmission tunnel and coextending therewith, the tunnel being adapted to provide torsional stiffness to the chassis.

10. An armored vehicle as in claim 9, in which the transmission tunnel includes a buffer at a forward extremity thereof positioned to contact a said obstacle sequentially with the footwell whereby to facilitate passage of the vehicle over the obstacle.

11. An armored vehicle as claim 1 in which the lower armored portion includes a forward bulkhead of the cab.

12. An armored vehicle as in claim 1 in which the lower armored portion includes a rear and side wall of the cab.

13. An armored vehicle as in claim 1 in which the lower armored portion of the cab includes seating and controls for at least engine, steering, brakes and gears of the vehicle, the cab including a removable optionally armored element, wherein the removable element may be removed without disturbing the seating and controls.