Super Bainite SteelThe New Key Player in Vehicle Armour

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With global hotspots of unrest continuing to proliferate due to conflict and the growing threat of terrorism, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, the importance and value of armoured vehicles is expected to grow in the short and medium term.

Armoured vehicle fleets provide the backbone for the ground-based fighting capability in response to these threats; facilitating the protection and mobility for the deployment of troops, sensors and weapon systems. The unique challenges of modern battlefield settings,

where intense armament is needed to enable radical tactical and operational mobility across demanding terrain, have demonstrated the importance of using armour materials that offer maximum levels of protection. But with a global economic slowdown and the

uncertainty caused by Brexit, the defence market is becoming more price sensitive, and is therefore looking to find and procure superior materials at a lower cost.

The Armoured Vehicle MarketAccording to the Defence IQ Armoured Vehicles Market Report, the armoured vehicles market is currently worth in the region of £11.7 billion.

Following a period of decline

after military withdrawal

from Afghanistan, the

market has revived with

the emergence of political

instability throughout

the Middle East, Eastern

Europe and Asia-Pacific. As

a result, defence budgets

are continuing to witness

an upward trajectory of

growth along with new

contract opportunities and

large-scale investments

as governments seek to

develop their military

capabilities in response to

the global terrorism threat,

as highlighted by Islamic

unprecedented migration in

mainland Europe provides

a new security challenge. In

addition, NATO is routinely

deployed in Baltic regions of

Eastern Europe in an effort

to deter Russian aggression.

Throughout North and

West Africa and the

Middle East, conventional

forces are pitted against

unpredictable threats and

terrorism, stimulated, for

the most part, by Islamic

Fundamentalism; while

conflicts in Mexico, South

Sudan and Yemen continue

State throughout Europe

and Asia.

The Defence IQ market

report shows that Saudi

Arabia and the UAE are set

to be the primary armoured

vehicle markets over the

next decade, with 36 per

cent of survey respondents

declaring them priority

nations. India came in

second at 35 per cent, and

USA third with 33 per cent.

European markets have also

seen an increase in demand

for armoured vehicles as

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Protection continues to be a priority with armoured vehicles but, more than ever before, reliability is becoming an equally critical feature.

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to highlight the important

role of armoured vehicles

in the protection of local

populations.

Though immediate

protection continues to be

a priority with armoured

vehicles, reliability has

quickly become an equally

critical feature. This

indicates an increased

awareness of the need to be

able to quickly respond to

numerous and sophisticated

threats while, at the same

time, reducing through-life

costs in accordance with

financial demands.

The Armoured Personnel

Carrier (APC) remains the

vehicle most likely to be

in highest demand over

the next decade after the

slow decline of the once-

prominent Mine Resistant

Ambush Protected (MRAP)

vehicle. The threat of

landmines and IEDs

remain a top concern, but

increased technological

sophistication is driving for

even more armoured vehicle

capabilities.

In terms of specific armour

types, new lightweight and

durable options continue

to be researched and

developed. One example

is aluminium oxynitride, a

material whose physical

and mechanical properties

make it a leading competitor

for lightweight and high-

performance armour

applications as well as for

military infrared optics. At

an average cost of £10 per

square inch, however, it is a

costly option in the current

climate.

Aluminium also features

in research for a new

honeycomb-structured

plate composite with a

shock-absorbing layer

that addresses an ongoing

demand for anti-ballistic

properties.

Though there are six

leading armour types used

in the industry today -

plastic, glass, ceramics,

metal, composites and

nanomaterials - advances

in technology are

beginning to reveal some

of their drawbacks, while

highlighting the strengths of

newer armour components.

Plastic

Glass

Plastic armour is lighter than metal alternatives, has a reduced thermal radar signature and is resistant to erosion. The deflective, hard granite particles also make it extremely effective at stopping armour-piercing bullets which lodge between the plastic and the steel backing plate. The material is generally less protective than steel-based armours due to an inferior material density and, although lighter, plastic armour tends to be bulkier than metal armour for the same amount of protection. Since World War II, plastics are more frequently used as a composite addition to other materials.

Glass is much harder than plastic, to such a degree that it is able to flatten and absorb the energy of a bullet before penetration. These armours tend to use strong but transparent materials - such as polycarbonate thermoplastic or layers of laminated glass - which offer varying degrees of protection against small arms fire, but excel in mitigating direct impacts such as that of a hammer or axe. The efficacy of bullet-resistant glass against different firearms will depend on the amount, layering and thickness of the glass. New innovations in this material include the adaptation of an air chamber between glass and polycarbonate components. This feature and a curved design deforms any incoming bullet and is far lighter and thinner than traditional glass-clad polycarbonate armour. Though lauded for its strength, a significant downside of this material is its bulk and restrictive heaviness.

Armour Types

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Metal armours are made from materials including titanium, iron, uranium and steel, each of which carries advantages and disadvantages. Titanium is as strong as iron but has almost twice the density of aluminium and so, despite being more expensive, is highly effective in areas where weight is a concern, such as personal armour and military aviation. Uranium is similarly dense and is therefore used on tank armour, sandwiched between sheets of steel armour plate. Steel armours, such as rolled homogenous armours, are durable and tough but far bulkier than many modern materials. In recent years, new research has seen many metal materials evolve new protective properties. Although all strong and hard, metal armours are increasingly being overtaken by newer materials such as ceramics, smart materials and those made through additive manufacturing (which have dominated recent military innovation).

Metal

Composite armour consists of layers of materials with significantly different physical properties that, when combined, create an armour that’s stronger and lighter than metal. The effectiveness of composite armour rests on its composition and the materials that make it. It is known to be particularly effective against kinetic energy penetrators when combined with a heavy metal. The most common type of composite armour today is Chobham armour, which houses a layer of ceramic between two plates of steel armour and dramatically increases the resistance to HEAT rounds, even in comparison to other composite armour designs. Kevlar is another famous example. Composites are used by many modern armed forces but, more than ever before, they’re also being used on much smaller vehicles, often as an upgrade to existing armours. Though it is possible to design composite armour that is tougher, lighter and less voluminous than traditional materials, the cost is often prohibitively high, restricting its use to especially vulnerable parts of a vehicle.

Nanostructured materials are typically stronger, lighter and more durable

than most standard armours, and offer unique potential for reducing

the weight of a soldier or vehicle; improving both their lethality and

survivability.

The design and purpose of a vehicle determines the amount and type

of vehicle armour it requires. Heavy armour that’s either built into the

vehicle or retrofitted as appliqué plates can sometimes restrict mobility

and increase the amount of fuel the vehicle uses. In order to address this

problem, armours made from nanomaterials are often marketed as a more

attractive alternative.

Although celebrated for their lightness and enhancement of modern

ballistic materials, very few nanomaterials are currently available in

commercial products, making them expensive to build and untested in

some situations.

Nanomaterials

CompositesCeramic

Similarly to glass designs, ceramic armour is made of non-metallic, inorganic materials. The strength of construction and range of possible materials, however, set ceramics apart. Ceramic plates, typically composed of boron carbide or near variants, offer very high ballistic value, but are less efficient at dispersing blunt trauma. As a result, they’re often backed with materials such as aramid fabrics, high density fabrics or metal. This can add to the weight of ceramic armours but renders them more efficient at deforming penetrators. They also have a number of useful physical properties including resistance to heat, abrasion and compression, high rigidity, low weight in comparison with steel, and outstanding chemical stability. Despite this, and despite being one of the more popular materials in the modern market, ceramics are not completely infallible. Compared to steel or titanium, for instance, ceramic plates are brittle and therefore have inferior multi-hit resistance, making them particularly vulnerable to tightly-grouped rounds.

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Super BainiteSuper Bainite Steel is the result of 30 years of Cambridge University research. It was developed to replace Bainite, an extremely strong but brittle metal, by two researchers who aimed to create new steel alloys with military applications. They reasoned that if they could reduced Bainite’s brittleness, its characteristic hardness would make it an ideal source to work with Through testing the metal under various conditions, researchers found that by applying a heat treatment process called isothermal hardening and holding the steel at about 250C over several days, they could create an ultra-hard and strong steel that was far more flexible than other materials, even without the expensive addition of alloy metals. The result was a more perfect structure, and one that was near impossible to deform or crack. Ploughshare Innovations and Tata Steel licensed Super Bainite in 2011, allowing the steel giant to begin manufacturing and processing it in the UK and Europe, as well as exporting it globally. in its ability to endure small

arms and heavy machine gun

fire.

By incorporating Super Bainite

into an armour system as a

perforated strike face, the total

ballistic mass efficiency of the

armour is brought up to 2.5,

while at the same time it can

be matched to its environment

or host vehicle as its unique

properties allow it to be easily

painted or laser-profiled.

Another benefit of the material

is its manufacturing process

which, being far simpler

than any other commercially

available ballistic armour,

allows for more flexibility with

buyer requirements.

The enormous strength of

Super Bainite makes it ideal for

applications where strength,

toughness and versatility

are paramount; while its

lightweight nature and ability

to absorb energy makes it a

competitive and relatively

inexpensive comparison to

more traditional military

fabrics.

While ceramics layers and

smart materials continue to

forge ahead of armour plating’s

more traditional players, it is

the ascension of Super Bainite

that looks likely to have the

most profound effect on the

market in the years to come.

Since then, it has lived up to

its promise of being one of

the most pioneering military

technologies of our age.

The armour has a tensile

strength of some 2.5

gigapascals and a higher

density of infrastructure than

any other type of metal. In

recent trials, Super Bainite

demonstrated a hardness

matching that of alternative

hardness armour steels and

even some ceramic armours,

but at a much-reduced cost.

Through the addition of a

carefully calculated pattern

of perforations, Super Bainite

becomes twice as resistant to

ballistic impact as a monolithic

steel sheet. Although adding

holes may sound counter-

intuitive, they work by creating

myriad edges that interrupt

the path of an incoming

projectile and reduce it to blunt

fragments to minimise damage.

In fact, in its perforated form

Super Bainite has a ballistic

resistance superior to all

established armour materials

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The enormous strength of Super Bainite makes it ideal for applications where strength, toughness and versatility are paramount; while its lightweight nature and ability to absorb energy makes it a competitive and relatively inexpensive comparison to more traditional military fabrics.

Though these six highly protective materials currently dominate the market, it is plain to see that each has its drawbacks: some hinder users with excess heaviness or bulk, others carry high production costs or long lead times. A new material in development promises could be a game-changing alternative, however, from both an industrial manufacturing and military capability perspective, boasting a design that is innovative, ultra-hard and cheaper than comparable materials. Its name? Super Bainite Steel.

About Ploughshare

Ploughshare Innovations is the government’s technology transfer organisation. It is responsible for turning ‘swords into ploughshares’, converting technology research created by the UK Government into civilian applications.

Ploughshare Innovations was formed in 2005 to commercialise and increate the impact of intellectual property generated from research Dstl. Since it’s establishment, Ploughshare has commercialised more than 120 technologies and launces twelve spin-out companies, principally for civilian applications.

© 2017 Ploughshare Innovations Limited. All rights reserved. This publication is issued to provide outline information only. The company reserves any right to alter without notice the specification, design or conditions of supply of any product or service.

Ploughshare is wholly owned by the Secretary of State for Defence

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T: +44(0)1794 301052

E: info@ploughshareinnovations.comwww.ploughshareinnovations.com