Jul 8, 2025

US12352540 - Ballistic Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) body armor and methods of producing the same

Disclosed herein apparatus and associated methods relate to body armor comprising a plate having a ceramic tile bonded to front and back polyolefin layers by front and back pretreated prepreg layers. The pretreated prepreg layers may comprise epoxy resin sheets precooled for storage at 0° F. The polyolefin layers may comprise 940 and 1880 denier extruded polyolefin sheets. The stored cold prepreg sheets may be heated and the hot prepreg sheets used to join the ceramic tile with the extruded polyolefin sheets. The ceramic tile may be bonded to the extruded polyolefin sheets by cooling the ceramic tile, extruded polyolefin sheets and hot prepreg sheets in a −58° F. freezer, forming a cooled bonded plate. A backer comprising stacked plastic sheets may be connected to the plate. The cooled bonded plate may be cured by a curing cycle comprising 260° F. and 120 PSI using an autoclave.

Assignee: 8910 LLC
Inventors: Mario Colon, Scott Spratt, Eric Stern
Filing date: 2025-01-18

The patent describes a method for producing ballistic personal protective equipment (PPE) body armor by bonding a ceramic tile with polyolefin layers using pretreated prepreg sheets, which are cooled and then cured in an autoclave. This process results in a cooled bonded plate that is further reinforced with a backer to create a durable shield.

Claim 1

A method comprising: heating a cold back prepreg sheet and a cold front prepreg sheet; forming a plate comprising, overlaying the back prepreg sheet onto a backside of a ceramic tile, thereby, forming a back prepreg layer; overlaying a back extruded polyolefin sheet onto the back prepreg layer; overlaying the front prepreg sheet onto a frontside of the ceramic tile, thereby, forming a front prepreg layer; and overlaying a front extruded polyolefin sheet onto the front prepreg layer; cooling the plate to form a cooled bonded plate having a front side and a back side; connecting a backer to the back side of the cooled bonded plate to form a shield; and curing the shield using an autoclave, thereby forming body armor. heating a cold back prepreg sheet and a cold front prepreg sheet; forming a plate comprising, overlaying the back prepreg sheet onto a backside of a ceramic tile, thereby, forming a back prepreg layer; overlaying a back extruded polyolefin sheet onto the back prepreg layer; overlaying the front prepreg sheet onto a frontside of the ceramic tile, thereby, forming a front prepreg layer; and overlaying a front extruded polyolefin sheet onto the front prepreg layer; overlaying the back prepreg sheet onto a backside of a ceramic tile, thereby, forming a back prepreg layer; overlaying a back extruded polyolefin sheet onto the back prepreg layer; overlaying the front prepreg sheet onto a frontside of the ceramic tile, thereby, forming a front prepreg layer; and overlaying a front extruded polyolefin sheet onto the front prepreg layer; cooling the plate to form a cooled bonded plate having a front side and a back side; connecting a backer to the back side of the cooled bonded plate to form a shield; and curing the shield using an autoclave, thereby forming body armor.

Google Patents

https://patents.google.com/patent/US12352540

USPTO PDF

https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/12352540