Patent ID: 8146477

Claim:
A system for protecting a vehicle from a mine, the mine being located at or underneath the surface on which the vehicle is traveling, the mine upon detonation yielding ejecta having an expected vertically upward trajectory, and the vehicle having a hull with an underbody, the system comprising: a first layer of material disposed outside of the underbody, the first layer of material including a base disposed in a direction substantially parallel to the underbody, and a protrusion that narrows in width as it extends away from the base in a direction opposing the expected trajectory of the ejecta, the protrusion narrowing to an apex; a second layer including a material having a shock wave transmission velocity that is higher than a shock wave transmission velocity of the material of the first layer, the second layer covering at least a majority of the base of the first layer; and an exterior layer covering at least a majority of the first and second layers, the exterior layer having an exterior surface that faces away from the underbody and toward the expected trajectory of the ejecta, wherein at least a portion of the exterior layer forms an acute angle relative to the base of the first layer; and a maximum of the width of the protrusion is smaller than a width of the base, the width of the base and the maximum width of the protrusion extending substantially parallel to the underbody.