FEASIBILITY OF ARMOR MATERIAL AS BASIC AIRCRAFT STRUCTURE

Abstract

The use of selected armor materials as primary, secondary, and transparent aircraft structure was studied and determined to be both feasible and practical. Solutions to the several problems in design, fabrication, and repair of both opaque and transparent armor are presented. A comparison indicates that use of structural armor instead of kit armor saves 10 lbs. to 62 lbs. for a single -place aircraft subjected respectively to sporadic and to concentrated small-arms fire throughout the lower hemisphere. In addition, an aircraft design using structural armor will have fewer total parts and will have a lower cost unless an unusual pricing structure exists. Ceramic-faced, non- delaminating fiber glass is recommended for minimum weight, for the most effective maintenance of ballistic and structural properties over extended service life, and for faceted contours. Dual hardness steel armor is recommended for low first cost, for maximum strength, for high hit-density, and for flat or slightly contoured panels.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 1966
Accession Number
AD0631467

Entities

People

  • D. G. Whinery

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aircraft Equipment
  • Aircrafts
  • Airframes
  • Ceramic Materials
  • Composite Materials
  • Fabrication
  • Manufacturing
  • Material Degradation Processes
  • Materials Processing
  • Mechanical Working
  • Mechanics
  • Modulus Of Elasticity
  • Resins
  • Stress Strain Relations
  • Structural Properties
  • Tensile Strength
  • Test And Evaluation

Readers

  • Reinforced Composite Materials
  • Systems Analysis and Design
  • ballistics.