1. PERFORATED FUSELAGE ARMOR (PFA) CONCEPT 1
WILLIAM A. GOOCH AND MATTHEW BURKINS
U.S. ARMY RESEARCH LABORATORY
WEAPONS AND MATERIALS RESEARCH DIRECTORATE
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MD
National Specialist Meeting on Rotocraft Structures and Survivability
Williamsburg, VA
25-27 October 2005
THIS PRESENTATION IS UNCLASSIFIED/PUBLIC DOMAIN 1

2. ARMOR CONCEPT PERFORATED FUSELAGE ARMOR
ARMY RESEARCH LABORATORY (ARL) DEVELOPED AN ARMOR CONCEPT FOR ROTORCRAFT SYSTEMS BASED ON A WELL-ESTABLISHED LIGHT VEHICLE ARMOR TECHOLOGY CALLED P900 TIPPING PLATE ARMOR
ARL DESIGNATED THE BREAKUP MECHANISM AS PERFORATED FUSELAGE ARMOR (PFA) AND COMPLETE SUPPRESION OF THREAT REQUIRES A BACKING ARMOR TO CATCH FRAGMENTS
TIPPING PLATE ARMORS HAVE BEEN APPLIED TO MANY GROUND BASED VEHICLES AS AN EFFECTIVE SPACED ARMOR SYSTEM AGAINST STEEL OR TUNGSTEN CARBIDE PROJECTILES UP TO 14.5-mm
PUNCHED OR DRILLED WROUGHT PLATE P900 IS PUBLIC DOMAIN WITH SOME HOLE DESIGNS PATENTED AND ARL HOLDS A GOVERNMENT PATENT ON CAST P900
ARL CONDUCTED AN INITIAL AND LIMITED PARAMETRIC BALLISTIC EXAMINATION OF THE CONCEPT AGAINST THE 12.7-mm B32 ARMOR-PIERCING PROJECTILE AT 2000 fps (609 m/s)

3. SPACED ARMOR DESIGNS TIPPING PLATE ARMORS - P900

4. SPACED ARMOR DESIGNS TIPPING PLATE ARMORS - P900

5. FLASH X-RAY S OF 14.5-mm AP IMPACTING P900 ARMOR

6. P900 DESIGN IMPLEMENTED ON M113A3 ARMORED PERSONNEL CARRIER

7. P900 DESIGN IMPLEMENTED ON BUSTLE OF BRADLEY M2A2 INFANTRY FIGHTING VEHICLE

8. ARL PATENT OF P900 WITH SKIN
U.S. Patent Number 5,007,326, Cast Single Plate P900 Armor, William A. Gooch Jr., Matthew Burkins, David Weeks, Anthony Ricciazzi, Leo Mills and James Ogilvy, April 16, 1991.

9. PARAMETRIC TEST ARRAY FOUR THICKNESSES OF PFA WERE TESTED:
6.35-mm (0.250”) - AREAL DENSITY: 25.1 kg/m2 (5.14 psf)
7.94-mm (0.313”) - AREAL DENSITY: 31.0 kg/m2 (6.35 psf)
9.53-mm (0.375”) - AREAL DENSITY: 37.3 kg/m2 (7.64 psf)
12.7-mm (0.500”) - AREAL DENSITY: 49.8 kg/m2 (10.20 psf)
12.7-mm B32 ARMOR-PIERCING PROJECTILE
IMPACT VELOCITY fps (609 m/s)
TWO FLASH X-RAYS AT 200S AND 400S
COLLECTED MASS OF LARGEST FRAGMENTS IN WITNESS
MEASURED VELOCITYOF THESE FRAGMENTS
LETHALITY OF RESIDUAL FRAGMENTS CAN BE DETERMINED

10. B32 FAMILY OFARMOR PIERCING FAMILY OF PROJECTILES

11. PFA HOLE DESIGN

12. PFA TEST SETUP
TWO FLASH X-RAYS AT 200S AND 400S

13. BEHIND ARMOR X-RAY 6.35-mm (0.250”) PFA
JACKET/0.7g/477m/s
PFA FRAGMENTS
TAIL & JACKET/35.8g/548m/s
FLASH 2
FLASH 1
PFA

14. BEHIND ARMOR X-RAY 7.94-mm (0.3125”) PFA
MID/6.2g/590m/s
JACKET
PFA FRAGMENTS
BULLET &JACKET/20.9g/534m/s
FLASH 2
FLASH 1
PFA

15. BEHIND ARMOR X-RAY 9.53-mm (0.375) PFA
JACKET/1.7g/606m/s
TIP/2.5g/702ms
MID/6.7g/598m/s
PFA FRAGMENTS
TAIL/11.7g/598m/s
FLASH 2
FLASH 1
PFA

16. BEHIND ARMOR X-RAY 12.7-mm (0.500”) PFA
JACKET/4.5g/454m/s
PFA FRAGMENTS
?/3.0g/561m/s
TAIL/10.4g/489m/s
?/6.3g/512m/s
FLASH 2
FLASH 1
PFA

17. CONCLUSIONS ON PFA ARMOR
PERFORATED FUSELAGE ARMOR OFFERS SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN THE VULNERABILITY OF AIRCRAFT TO STEEL CORED PROJECTILES BETWEEN mm CALIBER
7.94-mm (0.313”) PFA PLATE AT AREAL DENSITY OF 31.0 kg/m2 (6.35 psf) PROVIDED LOWEST WEIGHT BREAKUP OF PROJECTILE
PROJECTILE IS FRACTURED INTO SMALLER MASSES, DISPERSED AND THE BROKEN-UP FRAGMENTS CAN BE ABSORBED BY COMPONENTS OR STRUCTURE WHICH WOULD BE TOTALLY PENETRATED BY AN INTACT PROJECTILE
REDUNDENCY OF AIRCRAFT SYSTEM COMPONENTS ALLOWS FRAGMENT IMPACT, BUT STILL RETAINS AIRCRAFT FUNCTION
FRAGMENT DEPTH OF PENETRATION INTO PLYWOOD WITNESS WAS NO MORE THAN 115-mm
PROTECTION OF CREW AREA MAY ONLY REQUIRE FRAGMENT PROTECTION (KEVLAR SPALL LINER)
PFA CAN BE INCORPORATED INTO FUSELAGE SKIN