Patent ID: 7114764

Claim:
A method for augmenting a wheeled vehicle in order to enhance its occupant protection capability, said vehicle including a cabin and an undercarriage, said undercarriage including an undercarriage portion situated beneath said cabin, said undercarriage portion including a pair of floorboard portions and a central portion intermediate said floorboard portions, each said floorboard portion being at least substantially characterized by structural continuity, said central portion being at least substantially characterized by structural discontinuity, said method comprising: covering each said floorboard portion with a floorboard-location elastomeric layer and a floorboard-location non-elastomeric layer so that said floorboard-location elastomeric layer is interposed between said floorboard portion and said floorboard-location non-elastomeric layer, wherein with respect to each said floorboard portion the combination including said floorboard portion and its associated said floorboard-location elastomeric layer and its associated said floorboard-location non-elastomeric layer essentially represents a floorboard-location three-layer material system, said floorboard portion and said floorboard-location non-elastomeric layer each being more rigid than said floorboard-location elastomeric layer; and covering said central portion with a central-location elastomeric layer and a central-location non-elastomeric layer so that said central-location non-elastomeric layer is interposed between said central portion and said central-location elastomeric layer, wherein with respect to said central portion the combination including its associated said central-location elastomeric layer and its associated said central-location non-elastomeric layer essentially represents a central-location two-layer material system, said central-location non-elastomeric layer being more rigid than said central-location elastomeric layer.