Patent ID: 9682536
Date: 2017-06-20
CPC Classifications: B32B,F41H,Y10T

Claim:
1. A structure, comprising a first outer layer formed as a monolithic non-fibrous sheet of glass, ceramic, or glass-ceramic material; a polymer fiber composite layer located directly adjacent to and bonded to one side of the first outer layer and including polymer fibers at least partially embedded in a matrix; a second outer layer mounted directly adjacent to the polymer fiber composite layer on a side opposite the first outer layer, the second outer layer comprising a composite layer formed of glass fibers and/or polymer fibers having a higher stiffness than the polymer fibers in the polymer fiber composite layer, the second outer layer having a thinner cross section than the polymer fiber composite layer and configured to fail in a manner allowing the polymer fiber composite layer to deform at relatively high strains prior to fiber failure; the first outer layer and the second outer layer each having a higher stiffness than the polymer fiber composite layer; the polymer fiber composite layer acting as a spacer spacing apart the first and second outer layer and forming a sandwich stiffening structure increasing a global stiffness of the first outer layer relative to the stiffness of the first outer layer acting alone; and the first outer layer and the polymer fiber composite layer are each substantially optically transparent.