Mar 3, 2026

US12566048 - High buoyancy composite materials

Ballistic resistant composite materials having high positive buoyancy in water are provided. More particularly, provided are foam-free, buoyant composite materials fabricated using dry processing techniques. The materials comprise fibrous plies that are partially coated with a particulate binder that is thermopressed to transform a portion of the binder into raised, discontinuous patches bonded to fiber/tape surfaces, while another portion of the particulate binder remains on the fibers/tapes as unmelted particles. The presence of the unmelted binder particles maintains empty spaces within the composite materials which increases the positive buoyancy of the composites in water.

Inventors: Ashok Bhatnagar, Tyler Bartelt, Henry Gerard Ardiff, Gary Kratzer, David A. Hurst, Lori L. Wagner
Filing date: 2023-01-19

compositeballisticmaterialbuoyancy

The patent describes a buoyant ballistic-resistant composite material that is foam-free and designed to have positive buoyancy in water, achieved through a unique dry processing technique. This material incorporates fibrous plies coated with a thermopressed particulate binder, creating raised patches and maintaining empty spaces to enhance buoyancy while also integrating armor plates with neutral or negative buoyancy.

Claim 1

1 . A buoyant ballistic resistant article having positive buoyancy in water, said article comprising a buoyant ballistic resistant material having positive buoyancy in water, wherein said article incorporates one or more armor plates, said armor plates having neutral or negative buoyancy in water, said buoyant ballistic resistant material comprising at least one fibrous ply, each fibrous ply comprising a plurality of fibers and/or a plurality of tapes, wherein one or more of said fibers/tapes have surfaces that are partially covered by raised, discontinuous patches of a polymeric binder bonded to and extending from the fiber/tape surfaces, and wherein the material further comprises a plurality of polymer particles on and/or between said fibers/tapes, wherein at least some of said polymer particles are softened and/or melted; wherein said buoyant ballistic resistant material has a volume that partially comprises empty space, and wherein said buoyant ballistic resistant article is foam-free and has said positive buoyancy in water without air bladder inserts or other buoyancy enhancing components. wherein said buoyant ballistic resistant material has a volume that partially comprises empty space, and wherein said buoyant ballistic resistant article is foam-free and has said positive buoyancy in water without air bladder inserts or other buoyancy enhancing components.

Google Patents

https://patents.google.com/patent/US12566048

USPTO PDF

https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/12566048