Armored Cars & Trucks

The goal of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of Composite Metal Foam (CMF) armors against 0.50 caliber ballistic threats. A hard armor was manufactured using a sandwich panel construction consisting of a ceramic faceplate, a CMF core, and a thin aluminum back plate. The hard armor system was tested against 0.50 caliber (12.7 × 99 mm) ball and armor piercing (AP) rounds. The CMF armors were tested with a variety of areal densities at impact velocities between 500 and 885 m/s. The armors stopped the threats at speeds up to 819 m/s without penetration. The CMF layer was found to absorb 73–76% and 69–79% of the kinetic energy of the ball and AP round respectively. When compared to rolled homogeneous steel armor (RHA), the CMF hard armors, in their current unoptimized condition, have a mass efficiency ratio of approximately 2.1. The CMF armor offers a much needed weight savings without sacrificing protection. Finite element analysis was completed using ANSYS/AUTOD...

The armored bulldozer is a basic tool of combat engineering. These combat engineering vehicles combine the earth moving capabilities of the bulldozer with armor which protects the vehicle and its operator in or near combat. Most are civilian bulldozers modified by addition of vehicle armor/military equipment, but some are tanks stripped of armament and fitted with a dozer blade. Some tanks have bulldozer blades while retaining their armament, but this does not make them armored bulldozers as such, because combat remains the primary role — earth moving is a secondary task. Modern armored bulldozers are often based on the Caterpillar D7 and D9, or russian dozer ChTZ B10. The attributes that make the D9 popular for major construction projects make it desirable for military applications as well. It has been particularly effective for the Israel Defense Forces and for the United States armed forces and the Canadian Army in Iraq, both using an armor kit developed and manufactured by Is...