Patent ID: 8012897

Claim:
A panel comprising a single internal layer of a plurality of high-density ceramic pellets each having a convexly curved end face which are directly bound and retained in plate form by a solidified material such that the pellets are arranged in a single layer of adjacent rows and columns with the convexly curved end faces oriented in the same direction wherein a majority of each of said pellets is in direct contact with at least four adjacent pellets, said panel being an armor panel exhibiting high fracture toughness and shock absorbing property, wherein each of said pellets is made from yittria stabilized zirconium-toughened alumina ceramic product sintered at 1700° C. and comprises about 80-94 w/w % Al 2 O 3 , about 5-19 w/w % ZrO 2 and about 0.18-0.72 W/W % Y 2 O; and wherein the yittria stabilized zirconium-toughened alumina ceramic product further comprises additional oxides selected from the group consisting of Na 2 O, P 2 O 5 , K 2 O, CaO, TiO 2 , Fe 2 O 3 , CuO, ZnO, BaO and mixtures thereof.