Abstract:
A floating floor assembly for an armored vehicle mounted to the sides of the vehicle to suspend the floor above the belly armor of the vehicle rather than being directly supported by the belly armor. The floating floor reduces the amount of energy that is transferred by the floating floor from the belly plate and further reduces the risk that any deformation of the belly armor from the explosion will cascade to the floating floor causing the floor to buckle or fragment into secondary shrapnel.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/531,816, filed Sep. 7, 2011, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention is generally directed to a floor assembly for an armored vehicle. Specifically, the present invention is generally directed to a floating floor assembly that suspends the flooring above the belly armored minimizing the effect of an explosive event originating beneath the vehicle on the crew compartment. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    An armored vehicle typically comprises armor paneling mounted on the sides, roof and the bottom of the vehicle. The substantial weight of the armor paneling creates a tradeoff between the operational weight of the vehicle that can be effectively handled by the engine versus the amount of armor necessary to protect the occupants and critical systems of the vehicle. Accordingly, the vehicle armor is typically concentrated at the sides of the vehicle where majority of the hostile fire will likely strike the vehicle, while the top and the bottom of the vehicle are relatively lightly armored. The side armor paneling used for armored vehicles has improved to the extent that penetrating the side armor of a vehicle with conventional weaponry has become very difficult. Advanced weaponry, such as High Explosive Anti-Tank (“HEAT”) warheads fired by large bore cannons, is often required to eliminate, to destroy or disable an armored vehicle through the side armor. 
         [0004]    Accordingly, many anti-armored vehicle weapon systems used by combatants without access to advanced weaponry seek to exploit the vulnerable underbelly or top of the vehicle rather than seeking to overcome the thicker armor at the sides of the vehicle. In particular, mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) exploit the thin belly armor of most armored vehicles by detonating beneath the vehicle to direct shrapnel and a concussive blast into the crew compartment. Even if the belly armor dampens the explosive energy of the mine or IED, the close proximity of the explosion beneath the vehicle still creates a substantial risk of injury to the occupants and critical systems of the vehicle. 
         [0005]    In addition, as the flooring of the crew compartment is commonly affixed directly to the belly armor, any damage or deformation of the belly armor from the explosion could cause the floor of the crew compartment to buckle and injure the occupants. Similarly, any explosive energy directed at the underlying armor can be conducted directly through the flooring into the crew compartment. Although the armor plating and the flooring will dampen the explosive energy, the amount of explosive energy transferred to the lower extremities of the occupants can be sufficient to cause injury to the occupants&#39; extremities or knock the occupants around the crew compartment causing additional injury. 
         [0006]    Similarly, the flooring provides minimal protection once the belly armor is breached. As a result, shrapnel from the explosion that penetrates the thin armor plating on the underside of the vehicle or penetrates through damaged portions of the armor plating can typically easily penetrate the flooring and enter the crew compartment. In addition, the explosive energy directly transferred from the belly armor into the flooring panel can cause the flooring panel itself to fragment creating additional shrapnel in the crew compartment. The flying shrapnel within the confined crew compartment creates a substantial risk of serious injury or death. 
         [0007]    In recent years, however, the development of armor systems for protecting the underside of the crew compartment has remained relatively stagnant. As a result, even modern vehicles with advanced armor paneling are still susceptible to mines and IEDs that detonate beneath the vehicle leading to the increased use of IEDs and mines in certain conflicts where advanced weaponry may not be readily available. Consequently, there is a need for improved protection of the underside of crew compartments for armored vehicles. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    The present invention is directed to a flooring assembly that mounts at least one flooring panel for a crew compartment to the sides of the vehicle to float the flooring panels above the belly armor of the vehicle rather than affixing the flooring panels to the belly armor to support the flooring panels. The lack of direct support by the belly armor to the floating flooring panels eliminates structural conduits through which explosive energy can be transmitted from the belly armor to the flooring panels of the crew compartment. Although the explosive energy can travel through from the belly armor into the sides of the vehicle to eventually reach the flooring panels, the explosive energy will be significantly more dissipated by the additional material through which the energy must travel than had the energy been directly transferred into the flooring panels from the belly armor. In addition, the explosive energy must travel through the significantly thicker side armor paneling, which can dissipate the explosive energy over a greater amount of material. Similarly, the floating flooring panels reduce the risk that any deformation of the belly armor from the explosion will cascade to the flooring and cause the flooring to buckle or fragment into secondary shrapnel. 
         [0009]    A flooring assembly, according to an embodiment of the present invention, comprises at least one flooring panel and a support assembly for mounting the flooring panel to the walls of the vehicle to suspend the flooring panel above the belly armor of the vehicle. In one aspect, the mount assembly can further comprise at least two elongated primary support beams positioned in parallel to support the flooring panel. Each primary support beam comprises at least one wall mount at each end of the beam for affixing the primary support beam to the side wall of the vehicle. The wall mounts are positioned on the side walls of the vehicle such that the corresponding primary support beam is positioned a predetermined distance above the belly armor. Each flooring panel can be suspended between the primary support beams above the belly armor to define a gap between the underside of each floor panel and the top of the belly armor Similarly, the gap provides an expansion space in which the belly armor can buckle without impacting the flooring panels and causing the flooring panels to buckle and/or fracture. In one aspect, each flooring panel can further comprise at least one plate retainer for affixing the flooring panel to the corresponding support beam supporting the flooring panel. 
         [0010]    According to an embodiment, the support assembly can further comprise at least two secondary support beams mounted in parallel to support at least one flooring panel. Each secondary support beam comprises a wall mount at one end and a beam mount at the opposite end. In one aspect, the secondary support beams are positioned such that the secondary support beams intersect the primary support beams. The wall mount of each of the secondary support beams operate in the same way as the wall mounts of the primary support beams by mounting one end of the secondary support beam to a sidewall of the vehicle. The beam mount can be affixed to a perpendicular primary support beam to position the secondary support beam at the predetermined distance above the belly armor. The secondary support beams can be used in conjunction with the primary support beams to support a plurality of flooring panels in an irregularly shaped crew compartment. 
         [0011]    According to an embodiment, at least one torsion bar strap can be positioned between the parallel support beams. Each torsion bar strap is adapted to twist in response to an explosive force reaching the support beams to absorb and further dissipate the explosive energy to minimize the impact of the explosive energy on the supported flooring panels. 
         [0012]    According to an embodiment, the floating floor can further comprise a containment blanket positioned beneath the flooring panels for capturing shrapnel from the IED or created by damage to the belly armor. The containment blanket can further comprise a steel weave adapted to prevent the shrapnel from cutting and penetrating through the containment blanket to strike the floor plating. The containment blanket minimizes or eliminates the shrapnel that could enter the crew compartment due to the explosion. 
         [0013]    A flooring assembly, according to an embodiment of the present invention, can comprise at least one floor panel having at least one structural mount on the periphery of the floor panel. In one aspect, the structural mount is adapted to mount the floor panel directly to a sidewall or a structure within the vehicle such as the center console for the cockpit. Directly mounting the floor panel to a wall or structure permits positioning of the floor panel in areas where support beams cannot easily fit, such as beneath the driver in the cockpit. In this configuration, the floor panel can be contoured to accommodate a seated occupant. In one aspect, the entire floor panel can be affixed to the side wall directly. 
         [0014]    A method, according to an embodiment of the present invention, for protecting the crew compartment from explosive events occurring below the vehicle, can generally comprise mounting at least two support beams to the side walls of the vehicle, wherein the support beams are positioned parallel to each other and are a predetermined distance above the belly armor. A flooring panel can then be positioned over the parallel support beams. At least one plate retainer is then inserted through the flooring panel into the underlying support beam to mount the flooring panel to the corresponding support beam. According to an embodiment, a containment blanket can be positioned between the flooring panel and the support beam to capture shrapnel from or generated by the explosive device. 
         [0015]    The above summary of the various representative embodiments of the invention is not intended to describe each illustrated embodiment or every implementation of the invention. Rather, the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art can appreciate and understand the principles and practices of the invention. The figures in the detailed description that follow more particularly exemplify these embodiments. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE CLAIMS 
         [0016]    The invention can be completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0017]      FIG. 1  is cutaway schematic view of a representative armored vehicle for use with the present invention. 
           [0018]      FIG. 2  is a wireframe perspective view of an armored vehicle having a floating floor according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the floating floor according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0020]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the floating floor of  FIG. 3  with the containment blanket removed. 
           [0021]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the support assembly of the floating floor depicted in  FIG. 3 . 
           [0022]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the containment blanket of the floating floor depicted in  FIG. 3 . 
       
    
    
       [0023]    While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0024]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , a vehicle  2  for use with the present invention can generally comprise a crew compartment  6  and an armored hull  4 . The crew compartment  6  can further comprise at least two opposing sidewalls  8  and a floor  10 . Similarly, the armored hull  4  can further comprise at least two opposing side armor sections  12  and a belly armor section  14  positioned beneath the floor  10 . As depicted, the vehicle  2  is a Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV), but can comprise any wheeled or tracked armored vehicle. 
         [0025]    As shown in  FIGS. 2-3  and  5 , a floating floor system  20  comprises a support assembly  24  and at least one flooring panel  26 . The support assembly  24  can further comprise at least two primary support beams  28  each having a wall mount  30  adapted to receive a fastener  32  and affixed to each end of the support beam  28 . In one aspect, at least one wall mount  30  can be positioned at each end of each primary support beam  28 . Each flooring panel  26  can further comprise at least one plate retainer  34  for receiving at least one fastener  36 . 
         [0026]    As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 5 , the fastener  32  is inserted through the wall mount  30  to affix each end of the support beam  28  to the sidewalls  8  of the crew compartment  2 . The fastener  32  can comprise screws, bolts, rivets or other conventional fastener. Alternatively, the wall mounts  30  can be welded to the sidewalls  8  rather than secured with a fastener  32 . The wall mounts  30  are affixed to the sidewalls  8  such that there is a predetermined distance between the belly armor section  12  and the bottom of the support beam  28 . The predetermined distance is set to minimize the explosive effect. The predetermined distance creates a gap between the underside of each flooring panel  26  and the topside of the belly armor section  12  to prevent damage to the belly armor section  12  from cascading into the flooring panel  26 . The fastener  36  can then be inserted through the plate retainers  34  and into the support beam  28  to affix the flooring panel  26 . The fastener  36  can comprise screws, bolts, rivets or other conventional fastener. Alternatively, the flooring panel  26  can be welded to the support beam  28 . 
         [0027]    As shown in  FIG. 5 , the support assembly  24  can further comprise at least two secondary support beams  38  each having a wall mount  40  affixed to one end of secondary support beam  38  and a beam mount  42  affixed to the opposite end of the secondary support beam  38 . The wall mount  40  is adapted to receive a fastener  44  or be welded to the sidewalls  8  to secure the secondary support beam  38  to the side walls  8 . Similarly, the beam mount  42  is adapted to receive a fastener  46  or be welded. The fastener  44 ,  46  can comprise screws, bolts, rivets or other conventional fastener. In operation, the wall mount  40  is mounted to the sidewall  8  while the beam mount  42  is mounted to a perpendicular primary support beam  28  to position the secondary support beams  38  at the predetermined distance from the belly armor section  14 . 
         [0028]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , the floating floor system  2 , according to an embodiment, can further comprise at least one direct mount floor panel  48  having at least one structural mount  50  positioned along the periphery of the floor panel  48 . Each structural mount  50  is adapted to receive a fastener  52  for affixing the structural mount  50  to a structure such as a sidewall or center console. In operation, the direct mount floor panel  48  is mounted to the sidewalls  8  and/or structure within the crew compartment  2  such that the floor panel  48  is at least the predetermined distance above the belly armor section  14 . In one aspect, the floor panel  48  can shaped to correspond to the entire bottom floor of the vehicle  2  such that the floor panel  48  can be affixed to the vehicle  2  to define a floor for the crew compartment  6 . 
         [0029]    As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 6 , the floating floor system  2 , according to an embodiment, can further comprise a containment blanket  54  for capturing shrapnel generated from an IED or damage to the belly armor section  12 . The containment blanket  54  can comprise ballistic resistant material such as, but not limited to, KEVLAR to prevent penetration of shrapnel through the blanket  54 . The containment blanket  54  comprises an embedded webbing  56  having metal bushings  58  at the ends of the webbing  56 . The metal bushings  58  are adapted to receive a fastener  60  that can be inserted through a corresponding wall mount  30 ,  40 ,  42  and through the metal bushings  58  to retain the containment blanket  54 . As depicted in  FIG. 6 , the webbing  56  is arranged in a crisscross pattern, but can comprise any arrangement necessary to maintain the structural integrity of the blanket  54  when struck by shrapnel. According to an embodiment, separate wall brackets  62  can be mounted to the sidewalls  8  for securing the containment blanket  54 . 
         [0030]    As shown in  FIG. 5 , the support assembly  24 , according to an embodiment, can further comprise torsion bar straps  64  each having at least one anchor bracket  66 . The anchor brackets  66  are adapted to receive a fastener  68  to mount the bracket  66  to the sidewall  8  or a support beam  28 ,  38 . In operation, the bar straps  64  are positioned perpendicular across the support beams  28 ,  38  and adapted to twist when the vehicle  2  is struck by an explosion to absorb and dissipate a portion of the explosive energy. 
         [0031]    A method, according to an embodiment of the present invention, for protecting the crew compartment  6  from explosive events occurring below the vehicle  2 , can generally comprise mounting at least two primary support beams  28  to the side walls  8  of the vehicle  2 , wherein the support beams are positioned parallel to each other and are a predetermined distance above the belly armor section  14 . At least one flooring panel  26  can then be positioned over the parallel primary support beams. At least one plate retainer  34  is then inserted through the flooring panel  26  into the underlying support beam to mount the flooring panel  26  to the corresponding support beam  28 . According to an embodiment, a containment blanket can be positioned between the flooring panel  26  and the support beam  28  to capture shrapnel from or generated by the explosive device. 
         [0032]    While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and described in detail. It is understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.