bullet proof wood

[goose]

I have just watched a youtube vid showing how bullet proof laminated wood is. I then did a quick internet serch and found several firms sell compressed wood laminates that are half the strengh of steel but only 20% the weight. Has anyone used wood to build an AFV? The potental is there and possably cheap to build. What do you think?

 

[Hobbes]

Would be rather vulnerable to incendiaries, wouldn't it?

 

[Avimimus]

Re: bullet proof wood (how much fuel to cook a normal MBT?)

Which raises an interesting question - Exaclty how big would a warhead need to be to cut a standard tank (eg. T-64, M1). Metal is a good conductor of heat (and you don't actually have to penetrate the armour)

 

[lastdingo]

Would be rather vulnerable to incendiaries, wouldn't it?

Not necessarily, unless we're talking about Thermite or Napalm. Compressed wood is fairly resistant to fire, and even more so to destructive organisms. Nature never learnt to deal with compressed wood, for it is too new.)

The last time I saw a presentation on compressed wood it was about a material of double density and double strength of the basic wood, possible to bend (even into a sign post with an almost circular cross section) and unusually resistant against decay.

 

[Bill Walker]

Only slightly related, but I seem to recall that the Chinese used compressed wood for some of their early re-entry heat shields. It allegedly charred at a very slow and controlled rate.

 

[Rickshaw]

Rigidity might be a bit of a problem. It might be proof against small arms ammunition but a high velocity AT round? An APFSDS round would basically spear its way through, pushing the fibres to each side. If they can make solid metal "flow" around the penetrator, wood would not be much of a problem. A HEAT round would burn its way through, while a HE round would splinter it.

 

[RP1]

IIRC I have read that the air-spike on the front of Trident missiles is made of wood.


Back on-topic:


Patent EP0826134 B1 uses wood in laminated armour.


RP1

 

[Rickshaw]

IIRC I have read that the air-spike on the front of Trident missiles is made of wood.

That is intended to ablate until the missile reaches higher altitude and thinner atmosphere which the nose cap can withstand on its own. The air-spike creates a shockwave in front of the nose cap and this forces the air around it. However, the air-spike suffers tremendous heating in the process and literally burns away. Why they didn't use metal I have no idea.

 

[fv1620]

The Humber Pigs FV1609 used by the RUC had 5/8 inch plywood bolted over the aluminium checker-plate floor to help resist the effects of pipe bombs. Some contracts for Shorland armoured cars had plywood over the GRP floor for the same purpose.

 

[yulzari]

IIRC from a very long time ago; HE charges can find themselves being diverted along the laminations rather than through plywood.

 

[Bill Walker]

The Humber Pigs FV1609 used by the RUC had 5/8 inch plywood bolted over the aluminium checker-plate floor....

Securing the plywood is essential. We had a nasty helicopter accident in Canada some 25 years ago, made worse by a loose plywood floor that had been fitted in the cabin to protect the metal floor from freight. The plywood was cut to size, but not secured. Over many hours of operation the wood moved in-plane small amounts, creating a good collection of plywood dust on the bottom of the wood. In a very heavy landing with an empty cabin the plywood was lifted, and a cloud of wood dust filled the cabin. At the same time there was a small electrical short in the cabin resulting from the hard landing, and boom.