Patent ID: 7642206

Claim:
A ballistic resistant panel, said panel comprising: an outwardly facing ceramic layer having an outer facing surface and an inner facing surface, said ceramic layer having a thickness of from about 0.1 to about 0.5 inch; a first fibrous layer comprising a network of aramid fibers and having an outer facing surface and an inner facing surface, said outer facing surface of said first fibrous layer being adjacent to said inner facing surface of said ceramic layer; and a second fibrous layer comprising a network of high molecular weight polyethylene fibers and having an outer facing surface and inner facing surface, said outer facing surface of said second fibrous layer being adjacent to said inner facing surface of said first fibrous layer; each of said first fibrous layer and said second fibrous layer being in the form of a plurality of individual plies of fiber with a resin matrix, the number of said plies in said first and second fibrous layers each being from about 10 to about 150; the weight ratio of said first fibrous layer to said second fibrous layer ranging from about 3:1 to about 1:3; said first fibrous layer being stiffer than said second fibrous layer and has a flexural modulus at least about 15% higher than the flexural modulus of said second fibrous layer, wherein said panel has a ballistic resistance which is substantially equivalent to or higher than the ballistic resistance of a comparable ceramic panel construction that has only a single fibrous layer comprising the same type of fibers as said fibers of said first or second fibrous layers, which single fibrous layer has an areal density substantially the same as the combined areal density of said first fibrous layer and said second fibrous layer.