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Solidica,
Inc. will demonstrate a 'smart armor' concept under a US Marine
Corps program funded by US$1.6 million award. The program will
demonstrate how an armor, embedded with special sensors can
perform damage assessment immediately after being effected by
hostile fire and alert the vehicle's health management system
about the level of damage suffered in combat. The program is
focused on the development of retrofit 'smart armor' kits for
Light Armored Vehicles.
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| Solidica will embed
its proprietary Gradient-Modulus Energy Absorbing Material (GMEAM)
technology into ceramic armor tiles. The sensors are being integrated
into the armor tile during production, through a unique material
embedding process called "Ultrasonic Consolidation",
which produces compound materials (ceramics and metals) tailoring
the specific product characteristics (weight, reinforcement,
impact absorption etc). This low-heat, low-impact formation
process enables the embedding of Micro-Electronic and Mechanical
Systems (MEMS) directly onto a metal substrate.
According to John McGinnis, Solidica's Director of Military
Programs, each of the new armor tiles will have an embedded
"Pantheon" sensing, diagnostic and telematic sensor
integrated with wireless communications, creating a wireless
grid which enables smart sensor nodes embedded throughout the
armor. This award follows an earlier program launched in 2005,
which demonstrated the feasibility of embedding fiberoptics
sensors directly within the armor components.
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