MULTIPURPOSE SPALL PROTECTIVE, ENERGY ABSORBING HYBRIDSIL MATERIAL FOR MILITARY VEHICLE INTERIORS

Through Army SBIR funding, NanoSonic has designed and empirically optimized a next-generation multipurpose Spall Protective, Energy Absorbing (SPEA™) HybridSil® material that will provide vehicle occupants with pioneering combinatorial protection from 1) fragmentation behind-armor debris (BAD), 2) high velocity head / neck impact, and 3) fire during underbody blast, crash, and rollover events. NanoSonic’s Phase I optimized HybridSil SPEA composite has been iteratively optimized and uniquely designed to afford a previously unavailable combination of high velocity ballistic protection, head impact protection, and fire resistance. Having established a strong empirical foundation independently tested and validated with MGA Research Incorporation and Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), this technology is positioned to provide soldiers with state-of-the-art multipurpose protection during combat missions. A Phase II program will provide a pivotal funding bridge enabling more rigorous BAD fragmentation testing with larger test specimens and more demanding threats; FMVSS-201U head impact optimization; larger scale fire, smoke, and toxicity testing; acoustic analysis; and thermal testing. NanoSonic will also work with Phase III integration partners to optimize HybridSil SPEA vehicle integration strategies and work to establish Phase III success through performance specification fulfillment within an array of military vehicles such as the Bradley, MATV, Stryker, HMMWV, and NGCV.