4 - Continuous metal fiber-reinforced silicon carbide

Abstract

This chapter is the first published disclosure of the “AusShield” continuous metal fiber-reinforced SiC technology. Author Ruys was the inventor of AusShield, and is current custodian of the AusShield technology. The AusShield invention process began in the 1990s, funded by Modern Ceramics Company Pty. Ltd. (MC2) (several million dollars), and was patented only in its earliest manifestation (Generation 1), a rudimentary prototype version with much lower ballistic performance than the later AusShield generations. MC2 was a leading global manufacturer of reaction-sintered SiC (RSSC) armour ceramics in the early 21st century until it closed down its Australian operations and went offshore. Ballistic quality AusShield (Generations 2, 3, and 4) has remained an industrial secret ever since. AusShield is a metal-reinforced ceramic with the potential to be a paradigm-shifting armour ceramic technology. It is SiC (or B4C) containing 3–16vol% embedded metal wire, stressed to its yield point to create extreme residual compression (tons for a 100–300mm sized tile). Therefore, it is extremely difficult for cracks to propagate beyond the impact zone after high-explosive impact or projectile impact. This makes AusShield the world’s first blast-resistant armour ceramic: capable of retaining multihit ballistic functionality after high-explosive impact. AusShield is 3–4 times more weight efficient than steel armour against shaped charges and armour-piercing bullets. AusShield is also capable of structural load-bearing. It can function as a load-bearing vehicle hull. A key focus in its invention was the development of a fully automatable manufacturing process, enabling AusShield to compete with SiC and B4C armour ceramics on price alone. This chapter outlines details on the development, manufacturing, and materials science of AusShield, and extensive details on ballistic testing (IED, shaped charge, projectiles) and wear testing conducted.