New ‘Intelligent Armor’ Analyzes Impact
Scientists and engineers have developed a “˜smart armor’ that has the ability to recognize the size of bullets it is shot with and generate electrical power upon impact.
The brains behind the operation, according to Discovery News, are at U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) in Michigan.
"As a kid, everyone played those video games that showed you how much armor you had left as a percentage bar," TARDEC contractor John Wray told Discovery. "That’s exactly what we’re working on here and more."
The intelligent armor design is based on piezoelecstrics, or materials that generate a small voltage when bent, and will bend with small voltage as well.
The armor plates will have sensors installed that utilize both aspects, and while the armor itself is not new, the sensors are.
Whether it is being worn on a soldier’s body or on a vehicle’s chassis, each individual plate of armor has two of the piezoelectric sensors attached to it.
It works by having an electric current flowing into one sensor, which turns it into mechanical energy in the form of a small vibration that spreads throughout the armor plate. The second piezoelectric device uses the same mechanical vibration and changes it back into electrical energy.
Anywhere from five to 15 volts of electricity is pumped into, and out of, an intact plate of armor. If the armor has been damaged by bullets, shrapnel or anything else, some of the current released into the armor won’t be picked up on the other end.
The TARDEC scientists can then determine how damaged the armor is by measuring how much energy is spent.
Thomas Meitzler, a research scientist at TARDEC developing the armor, said that intelligent armor research began several years ago. The Army went to TARDEC to find a way to see how the armor would hold up in the field.
"Right now, there are really only two ways to evaluate the health of a vehicle’s armor," Meitzler told Discovery. "One is to get out and manually inspect the armor. The other is to bring it to a vehicle depot for an ultrasound."
Since neither option is ideal for soldiers in the middle of combat, they needed a real-time option, so they went with piezoelectric sensors.
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The piezoelectric sensors are able to do more measure the armor’s integrity, while fortifying it as well.
Every bullet it is struck with creates a shock wave of electricity. Even if it is not much electricity, it is plenty to run a small sensor if the armor plating is hit with enough bullets.
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TARDEC is developing complex mathematical algorithms that would analyze the amount of electricity generated by a bullet’s impact to determine what type of bullet is being used.
For example, a .22 caliber bullet will generate less electricity than a .45 caliber bullet.
To have the knowledge of your opponent’s weaponry combined with real-time information about the integrity of the armor could save soldiers’ lives.
"If you know that one side of the armor is weakening, you could turn the vehicle to protect that side," said Meitzler.
John Ohab, the Department of Defense’s new technology strategist said that he was reminded of Star Trek when he first heard of the new armor sensors.
"There was always damage to a certain part of the ship and a graphic that displayed what part was injured," he said.
Ohab said that this could be just the beginning, adding that he cannot see any reason why the sensors could not even be used on ships or aircrafts.
Vladimir Genis, a professor of applied engineering technology who also develops piezoelectric devices at Drexel University, was also enthusiastic about the research.
"This is an absolutely excellent idea," said Genis. "There is so much energy that simply disappears. If we can even capture a portion of that energy, we could power a multitude of electrical devices."
Photo credit Staff Sgt. Andrew Smith
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