GB2468501A - Armoured vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

A military or armoured vehicle comprises a first cylindrical monocoque F having first longitudinal axis and an oval cross section, and a second cylindrical monocoque G having a second longitudinal axis and an oval cross section. The first and second monocoques F, G are oriented such that the first and second longitudinal axes are coincident and the longest oval diameter of the first monocoque F is perpendicular to the longest oval diameter of the second monocoque G.

Description

PATENT APPLICATiON A Lightly Armoured DiesellElectric Powered Military General Purpose Fightin Vehicle, and Police Vehicle of Monocoque Construction with steel enclosed Glass and Po!ymer Reinforced Spun Concrete Outer Armour which is intended as a replacement for the obsolescent Land Rover and Humvee and which is capable of resisting the blast and fire ball of adjacently detonated roadside bombs, small arms fire at close range, and also the blast and shrapnel of land mines.

BACKGROUND

fl a) The most affective weapon used by the modem day terrorist/insurgent, and the one which continues to claim most lives of our military, is the remotely detonated Roadside Bomb, or LE.D., (Improvised Explosive Device), the deadliest of this type being the E.F.P., (Explosively Formed Projectile), manufactured in Iran.

The E.F.P.s, are based on hollow charge' technology, and incorporate explosively formed armour piercing metal nose caps, several inches in diameter which can punch through even the 4.0 ins, thick steel armour of light tanks and destroy them.

Only the thickest armour of the heaviest battle tanks can resist these weapons, because only against battle tanks is the total energy, of the warheads explosive blow torch -like punch' exhausted before full penetration by its cap has occurred.

Fortunately there have been but a few E.F.P.s encounted by our troops so far, since these weapons require specialist manufacture and installation.

The ubiquitous IEDs however remain the greatest threat to our soldiers and the majority of the wheeled vehicles currently available to our troops have proved vulnerable to these roadside bombs.

b) The land mine, the Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPGs.), and the mortar, are also used by our enemies with devastating effect against currently deployed Armoured Land Rovers and the Humvee.

Even the smallest,(less than 10 Kilogram's), conventional shrapnel filled roadside bombs, (the lEDs), have proved to be very deadly against the armoured Land Rovers presently employed by the British Army for general duty and routine patrol in areas of Iraq and Afghanistan, to the extent that these vehicle types are having to be replaced by expensive and cumbersome wheeled and tracked vehicles, which require the troops to dismount from them in order to perform their duties, this adding further to their vulnerability.

The Humvee used by US forces in similar situations, has shared a similar fate.

This has meant the increasing transfer of military transport and communications duties from road onto day and night flying helicopters, which themselves are becoming more vulnerable to the latest hand held ground to air missiles, and even conventional RPG'S and heavy machine guns.

These factors have rendered both the Land Rover and Humvee totally obsolete, and their urgent replacement is now made necessary by a new type of lightly armoured wheeled vehicle which is resistant to the majority of lED's and Iandmines so that it can routinely operate inside enemy territory during the day or night.

In both cases, the Police versions of the Land Rover and Humvee are becoming more vulnerable, in situations of civil disorder and rioting, where the use of firearms, petrol bombs and explosives by the rioters, is increasing.

c) The warhead of the ubiquitous Rocket Propelled Grenade, (RPG), operates on the same hollow charge principles as the EFPs, but at much lower explosive energies.

The RPG's penetration into the armour layer also relies on the formation of a narrow column of high velocity gases at hyper pressure but at comparitively low temperature, (generally less than the melting point of steel), formed by the concentrating ofthe explosive gases by the containing vessel of the hollow' charge in the weapon's warhead at detonation.

In the case of the RPG however, this column of concentrated explosive gas is usually less than 30 mms diameter, and does not have metallic armour piercing nose caps.

This column of explosive gases acts as a solid punch and literally drives a hole through thearrnour layer, thewalls of the pentration act to contain the hyper pressure.

Consequently, as protection against the hand launched RPG, all lightly armoured vehicles, (including light tanks), presently use externally mounted steel barred grids or gates', which are held a few inches above the outside surface of the vehicle, and which are intended to pre-detonate the incoming RPG projectile, so as to stop the warhead's nose from having correct initial orientation with the surface of the armour, so preventing the required alignment of the irresistible explosive jet stream at and into the surface of the armour by which this weapon is able to penetrate into any steel or other currently available armour.

These grids have proved to be effective against those RPGs fired at the limits of their range, (200/300 yards), but offer less protection against the latest Russian designed long beak' RPG s with their special proximity sensitive/delay fuses, fired at close range.

d) if means can be found to disrupt the RPG's concentrated cylindrical explosive jet stream column in such a way as to prevent the generation and or retention of the hyper pressure within it, (this being responsible for driving the nose of the jet stream through the armour), then the armour penetration by the weapon will be reduced or stopped.

All current defensive measures are useless however against the massive hollow charged E.F.P.s, which can destroy any vehicle or light tank they strike, and similarly there is no defence for lightly armoured vehicles against the occasional and huge 50 Kilogram conventional remotely detonated bomb or mine.

This Patent Application proposes a simple and cheap armour variation designed to further resist penetration by the explosive jet stream of the hollow charged RPG by disrupting this column of high velocity gases at hyper pressure which drives the penetration, and is based-owa layer of cavitatd-armour', which-allows the hyper pressure to leak away in a direction at right angles to the penetration.

There is therefore an urgent need for a new type of General Purpose, wheeled, and lightly armoured vehicle, to replace the vulnerable and outdated Land Rover and Humvee, for both Military and Police use. This Vehicle needs to meet the following

specifications

a) The vehicle must be easy to manufacture and maintain, utilisingreadily available components.

b) The vehicle's structure must remain completely intact even after being blown feet into the air and or rapidly rolled over, by the blast of an adjacently detonated roadside bomb (lED), or land mine, and it must be adequately armoured so as to be resistant to armour piercing bomb shrapnel, and high velocity small arms and machine gun fire, up to 0.5 ins calibre at close range.

c) The vehicle must be able to resist the roadside bomb's short lived but high temperature fire ball, (of the order of 2000 degrees centigrade), without spontaneously catching fire or incinerating the occupants, and have a continuous and smooth outer surface of low weight, layered and composite none metallic and heat resistant armour.

d) To reduce the impact of the high pressure bomb blast wave and also the heat absorbed at the wave front from the fire ball, the vehicle must have a low profile, (the passenger carrying bodywork being not more than 5 feet high), and small silhouette, with a curved and continuous outer surface, necessary to aid aerodynamically the deflection of the bomb blast wave and also incoming projectiles.

e) The vehide's interior must remain intact, after the bomb blast so as to prevent the release of dangerous internal post blast debris, and the occupants need to be suitably seated and restrained, and have the added protection of internal armour, and armoured seating, so as to avoid serious injury both from bullet and shrapnel penetration into the vehicle, the bomb blast, and anypost explosion impact of the vehicle with the ground.

f) The vehicle should be able to carry a minimum of 3 fully equipped soldiers, (excluding crew), with additional stores. It has to be maneuverable, stable and fast, both in forward and reverse.

The vehicle must be able to cruise at 60 mph fully laden on rough roads, and in its ultimate form be capable of being fully sealed aginst the ingress of radio active dust and nerve agents. -g) It must also be self righting, and have a permanently installed and manually swiveling turret with mounted machine gun in the military version so as to give the vehicle real fighting capability, or a water cannon! pepper spray gun, CS gas projector, in the Police version.

h) It should not be much longer overall than a long wheelbase Land Rover or the Humvee at 1-8-feet-and weigh-not muchmore than-6.0/6.5ionnes, fully laden, or 5.015.5 tonnes empty.

The vehicle should be powered by a currently available mass produced high speed turbo-diesel engine, delivering 350-400 BHP, giving the vehicle a performance approaching 65-70 BHP. /tonne, when fully laden.

DESCRIPTION

This PATENT APPLICATION proposes the design of a new type of 6 wheeled Diesel/Electric powered all wheel drive vehicle with largely none metallic armour, for general purpose Military fighting/communications usage, or as a Police vehicle comprising of 2 steel-Monocoques-usecLto encase thspolymeLreinforced spun concrete and glass armour, making it capable of fulfilling the above specification, and is based on the following features.

A) ConstructIon of the Front and Rear Composite Monocogues 1) The monocoque bodies of present day Fl racing cars have provedlo be almost indestructible, due in part to the high tech materials used in their construction, but also because the nature of the unbroken and continuous monocoque envelope which gives structural rigidity yet permits the rapid absorption and transmission of the impact shock wave across and through its skin; consequently it is this format which is adopted for this Vehicle.

The largely continuous surface of the monocoque envelope encourages the use of layered and none metallic armour, which can haveifproperlyreinforced and contained, a high penetration, shock, and heat resistance at a cheaper cost than that of its fabricated armoured steel equivalent.

The Vehicle described comprises 2 sets of Composite Monocoques of the same oval cross section but of differing length; each obtained by sliding open ended, oval sectioned Inner Steel Pipe Monocoques inside the 2 equivalent oval section sleeves, first oflempered-Glass and then-of Polymer-leinforced Spun-Concrete Tubes.

The Tempered Glass Sleeve is in the form of a series of separate hoops or collars approximately 350 mms wide 12.7 mms thick and of the required oval cross section of the outside of the Steel, which are pressed glass castings slipped over the outside surface of the Inner Steel Pipe Monocoque in sequence, and held in position by adhesive.

Both ofthe Inner-Steel-Pipe Monocoques have apertures cut into them, the Front Monocoque for the Gun Turret, and the RearMnocoque to cater for the Access Hatch for the pickup section of the vehicle.

In both cases the rings of the Tempered Glass Hoops in the vicinity of the cut outs have gaps in them to accommodate these features.

The single oval section Spun Concrete Tubes which slide over the outside of the Tempered Glass Sleeve, (one over the Front and one over the back Monocoque), each have an outer steel casing, (Outer Sheet Steel Sleeve), comprised of a further steel tube which has been externally distorted and fixed into the requisite oval section and which is then used as the lining of the concrete mould for the Spun Concrete.

The required oval cross section of the Outer Sheet Steel Sleeves is maintained by coating their outside surfaces with a baked on ceramic coat.

This ceramic coat is 6.9 mms, (0.25 ins) thick and has the dual purpose of protecting the concrete from the heat of the bomb's fire ball and also offering additional armour protection.

The 2 completed Composite Monocoques, are then joined together on the same axis end to end, with their widest diameters set at right angles to each other.

The two open ended Inner Steel Pipe Monocoques', at the heart of the design, are obtained by distorting when cold, (through the application of external pressure by means of a hydraulic press across a diameter), 2 separate lengths of circular section steel pipe of the required material composition, and wall thickness, so as to distort them into the desired oval cross section.

This distortion is then maintained by a series of right angled crosses', mounted axially and parallel on a single beam, which is located along the axis of the tube.

The horizontal limb of the right angled crosses, consists of a screw ram which can expand to provide the maximum diameter of the required oval cross section, the vertical limb has adjustable stops to correspond to the smallest diameter of the oval.

To ease installation and removal of this distorting system from the Inner Steel Pipe Monocoque, the end of each limb of the right angled crosses, has a ball or roller bearing installed in it.

The beam and its series of right angled crosses is simply inserted fully into the total length of steel pipe as this is passed progressively under the hydraulic press and distorted, the length of the vertical limbs being adjusted, so as to keep distorted the pipe in the required oval cross section, so that the inner armour coat of Tempered Glass Hoops can be installed and glued into position onto its outside surface.

Once in position the Tempered Glass Hoops hold the assembly at the correct outer dimensions so that the beam of crosses can be removed from the steel and the steel/glass combination can slide inside the oval bore of the Polymer Reinforced Spun Concrete, this insertion is aided by coating the outside of the Tempered Glass Hoops with a liquid adhesive such as PVA which also acts as a lubricant.

The mass produced dimensions of the bore of the Spun Concrete and the outside of the installed Tempered Glass Hoops can be controlled sufficiently during their manufacture for this insertion to be an easy process.

2) A hydraulic press and similar system of beam and crosses is used to distort the circular steel pipe which produces the Outer Steel Sheath of the Spun Concrete.

In this case these particular steel pipes with their distorting mechanism in place have to be inserted into a furnace, for the baking on of the Glazed Porcelain armour layer, onto the outside surface of the steel.

The china clay is in an emulsified form and sprayed onto the outer surface in layers.

Once the final layer has been applied and baked, the outside of the Porcelain Layer is wrapped in its final coat of High Tensile Reflective and Heat Resistant Tape which is bonded onto the surface.

The beam and crosses is then withdrawn; the finished Porcelain Layer with its wrapped tape skin then being sufficient to retain the requisite oval cross section of the Steel Sheath against its elastic return, prior to its installation into the back of the mould for the Spun Concrete.

The Outer Steel Sheath with its Porcelain and Taped coat is then inserted into the Spun Concrete Mould, and the concrete/polymer sprayed onto it, as the mould rotates.

To provide an adequate foundation and support for its outer layered armour and to ensure final resistance to penetration by small arms fire, bomb shrapnel, and for ease of welding, and also to have sufficient rigidity and resilience so as to remain intact after secondary post bomb explosion ground impacts and rolling, the minimum thickness of the steel wall of the Inner Steel Monocoque is 0.08 ins. (2.0 mms).

Starting with a circular pipe of outside diameter 0, the maximum diameter of the oval section would be approximately 1.15 D, with the oval's approximate shortest diameter of 0.800 Circular steel pipe with an outside diameter of 5.25 feet (1600 mms) treated in this way gives an oval section pipe with maximum and minimum diameters of 6.0 x 4.2 feet (1829 x 1282 mm) For simpkcity, if both sections of the Inner Steel Monocoque are formed from circular pipe of 5.25 feet outside diameter, the Front Section Inner Steel Monocoque is 6 feet long, 6.0 feet high and 4.2 feet wide, the Rear Section monocoque being 10 feet long, 4.2 feet high and 6.0 feet wide.

These two untreated single steel monocoques of these dimensions laid end to end are therefore 16.0 feet long and together weigh approximately 319 Kgrms (716 Ibs), at a wall thickness of 0.08 ins (2.0 mms).

For maximum resilience to shock and impacts, it is essential that this distortion is within the elastic limits of the original steel pipe.

3) The 2 completed oval sectioned monocoques are comprised of an Inner Steel Pipe with its outside layer of Tempered Glass Hoops inside a Polymer Reinforced Spun Concrete coat; all enclosed inside the Outer Steel Sleeve with its external Porcelain coat with its wrapping of bonded High Tensile and Reflective Heat Resistant Tape.

If the Outer Steel Sleeve enclosing the Spun Concrete is 1.0 mm, thick, then this gives a total steel weight of 491 Kgrms (1100 Ibs) for the 2 outer and 2 inner steel Monocoques.

The weight of the Polymer reinforced Spun Concrete armour at an assumed specific gravity of 2.4 and 25.4 mms (1.0 inch) thickness is 1485 Kgrrns (3328 Ibs).

The weight of the 12.7 mrns (0.5 ins), thick Tempered Glass at a specific gravity of 2.9 is 74lkgrms (1662 Ibs) and that of 6.9 mms (0.25 ins), thick ceramic coat at a specific gravity of 2.3 is 296 Kgrms (664 Ibs), giving an approximate combined finished weight 3.1 tonnes, (6755 Ibs), for the 2 completed Composite Monocoques together.

It is probably also necessary to coat the inside surface of the Outer Steel Sleeve with a suitable liquid adhesive/lubricant before the spun concrete is applied, so that the complete mating of the concrete/steel surfaces can be assured.

The required aperture in the Polymer Reinforced Spun Concrete and its steel and ceramic outer coats, required for the gun turret in the Front Monocoque, and the long Aperture and its armoured lid in the Rear Monocoque, (which acts as a pick up' body), are macfe by welding steel inserts onto the of the Outer Steel Sleeve before the application of the spun concrete and the china clay to it.

The Outer Steel Sleeve of the Spun Concrete, and the 2 inserts welded into it are made from steel of the required specification so as to resist the furnace temperatures of up tol200 degrees Centigrade reached during the baking-on of the outside Glazed Porcelain layer, which acts both as armour and heat insulation.

Both of the steel Inserts, for the Gun Turret and the Rear Access Aperture, have Interior Armour Steel Collars to line them, and which are pushed through the Inserts and welded to them before being welded around their bottom peripheries to the inside surface of the Inner Steel Monocoque.

Both Interior Steel Collars project upwards and outwards above the level of the outer monocoque skin to form armoured lips above each of the Apertures.

To protect the integrity of both Monocoques during explosive stress it is vital that there are no other intrusions into their walls, which might promote fracture and cracking.

4) The vertical space above arid between the top of the Rear Composite Monocoque and the top section of the Front Composite Monocoque is filled and sealed by the Rear Armor Glass Window.

This forward sloping Rear Window Mounting Frame is welded round its edge into the inside wall of the Inner Steel Rear Monocoque and along the bottom into the gap of the Monocoque Joining Flanges.

The Arrnorglas Rear Window opens outwards for ventilation purposes only and is hinged at the bottom, but can be removed in its entirety and used as an escape hatch.

The outer layer of Glazed Porcelain is designed to reduce further the thermal impact of the bomb's fireball on the concrete underneath, but it also offers significant additional armour protection, if encased in a High Tensile Heat Resistant Reflective Tape jacket which is wrapped and layered around the outside surface of the outer Porcelain to completely cover it, so as to prevent shattering fragmentation and spilling out' of the Porcelain caused by the impact of incoming projectiles and bullets, and also to reflect fire ball heat.

The main vehicle armour is therefore the double steel skin encased Polymer Reinforced Spun Concrete Monocoque and the Tempered Glass Outer Jacket of the Inner Steel Monocoque which together give significant resistance to penetration, the heat of the bomb's fire ball, and against the transient high pressure waves of the bomb blast.

The double steel and glass encasement of the Polymer Reinforced Spun Concrete, also adds to its longitudinal strength, and helps to conduct the heat of the fireball around the concrete's surface, but its main purpose is again to prevent cracking, splitting, and the displacement by internal and external spilling out or in' of the concrete fragments caused by the impact of incoming projectiles and bullets, from and by which penetration occurs.

Further armour protection can be obtained by lining both Inner Steel Pipe Monocoques with sections of aluminium alloy, or equivalent armour at strategic points which adds to the heat and sound insulation of the vehicle.

Additional internal armour protection is given by armoured seats, and the vehicle floor partially covered by aluminium alloy armour.

This additional internal armour can be simply glued onto the inside steel surfaces B) Joining of the two Monocogues by means of the 2 Joining Flanges The 2 oval section Monocoques are joined along the same central axis using 2 Joining Flanges, which are each welded onto the outside surface of the ends of the short Joining Sleeves which are set inside and welded into in the ends of the Inner Steel Pipe Monocoques.

The 2 completed Monocoques are then pulled together and the Flanges bolted to each other, as in a normal circular sectioned pipe joint by using Flange Bolts.

The other Sleeves in the outside monocoque ends are used in the same way to fix the Front and Rear End Flanges which also serve as the mountings for the short armoured extension for the hinged vehicle nose, and for the frame of the tailgate.

The Joining Sleeves can be split to ease injection into the Monocoque bores.

The Joining Flanges are the most highly stressed components, both of which are formed either from flame cut blanks which are then hot forged, or fabricated from forged steel bar which is then welded at the joins.

All 4 Flanges are pre-drilled to accommodate the 4 Main Structural Longerons which consist of high tensile steel tubes which pass through all 4 Flanges and along the entire combined length of the 2 joined monocoques.

These Structural Longerons are passed through each of the Flanges in turn and then welded into each of the Flanges after the joining process has been completed.

The fixings for Mounting Bolts for the steel tubes of the External Tubular Skeleton are welded onto the rim of the Flanges before these are fitted onto the monocoques.

The shoulders of these Flanges are sufficient in height both to clear Glazed Porcelain outer armour layer and permit the feeding through' of the Structural Longerons after the joining of the monocoques has taken place.

C) The Front Composite Monocoque 1) The short, high and narrow Front Composite Monocoque, (comprising the Front Inner Steel Monocoque, together with its Tempered Glass Outer Coat, and its Polymer Reinforced Spun Concrete Monocoque together), forms the completed front section of the vehicle, onto which is hinged the sub assembly of the aircraft type nose of the vehicle, this assembly serves as the Front Armoured Entry Door.

The driver sits alone in a high backed armoured seat located in the front section of the floor and offset to the left, this part of the floor projects into the hinged vehicle nose, such that when the driving seat is furthest back it just remains completely inside the Front Composite Monocoque and within the Vehicle Nose Extended Mounting Frame.

The entire Nose Section is hinged on the right side to this Mounting Frame which is bolted onto the front Flange of the Front Composite Monocoque.

2) The extended area of floor which projects into the nose section immediately behind the front door contains the Steering Column and Control Pedals.

The vertical gap between the top edge at the back of the Front Composite Monocoque, and the front upper surface of the Rear Composite Monocoque, (the top open core of the Joining Flanges), is filled by a single sloping Rear Window, glazed with Armorgias or equivalent, and which is hinged at the bottom to open outwards for ventilation only, but can be removed from the inside of the vehicle to provide an additional emergency exit.

The 2 openings low down, (one either side), between the front edges of the Rear Composite Monocoque and the wall at the back of the Front Composite Monocoque are filled either by Armorgias windows which do not open, or are of aluminium armour with a steel overlay, (for thermal protection), and used as means of exiting electrical power cables for the front electric drive motors.

The gap underneath the Rear Monocoque at the front caused by the overlap of the Front Monocoque at the bottom is used as the exit area for the exhaust pipe(s), power and control cables for the rear electric drive motors, Bowden cables for the rear mechanical clutches and brakes, and the higher pressure air from the engine cooling fan.

3) The standing Observer/Gunner station is centrally located in the Front Composite Monocoque, immediately behind the driving seat with the head and shoulders of the gunner, (nominally 1.8 metres or 6 feet tall), passing through the centre of the Gun Turret Lid Assembly Mounting Tube, which is able to freely rotate on 2 sets of ball bearings inside the downward extending Tube of the Armoured Turret Mounting Collar, which together comprise the gun turret.

The Armoured Turret Rim at a height of 1.5 metres (5.0 feet) above floor level means that the Gunner's head and shoulders protrude outside the Rim of the circular Machine Gun Aperture, which is cut into the roof of the Front Monocoque and which has the Armoured Steel Collar and its short tubular extension welded below it.

The Armoured Turret Mounting Collar is also welded into the Outer Sheet Steel Sleeve of the Spun Concrete of the roof aperture of the Front Composite Monocoque after the Front Inner Steel Monocoque has been inserted into its spun concrete shell.

The Armoured Turret Mounting Collar has a flat top edge Flange which cames the circle of adjusting bolts for the Top Ball Bearing Race, which holds the circle of trapped ball bearings in it.

The 4 Ball Bearing Races, (2 at the top and 2 at the bottom), are inclined oppositely at degrees.

4) The complete Lid Assembly is attached to a short Lid Assembly Mounting Tube, which projects downwards into a similar tubular extension of the Armoured Collar.

This complete Assembly runs on 2 sets of ball bearing track which are in the form of four 45 degree v' sectioned rings of rolled and hardened steel, which are bolted by means of their single outside vertical wall, alternately to the inside surface of the Tubular Extension of the Armoured Collar, and the inside bore of the Lid Assembly Mounting Tube.

The ball bearings are all captive in those rings which are bolted onto the inside of the Tubular Extension of the Armoured Collar, the top bearing ring of which is adjustable, and is fitted and adjusted after the installation of the Lid Assembly Mounting Tube and its rings from above.

This adjustment is achieved, by this top ring having a flange with holes which pass through a circle of studs in the Flange which is flush with the top edge of the Armoured Collar.

5) Additional armour protection to the front and sides of the gunner's head and exposed front torso, is provided by an upwards extension of the Lid Assembly Mounting Tube, in the form of a steel rim of greater diameter welded onto it, so that the Armoured Lid can still open and close.

The separate circular Armorglas Glazed Top of Turret Collar, with a slot in the front to allow elevation and some partial traverse of the machine gun barrel, is welded onto the rim, the Turret Lid Stay Frame being incorporated into the Glazed Turret Collar.

The entire Armoured Lid Assembly, which includes the Armorgias Glazed Collar of Turret Frame with its weapon, and the Turret Lid Stay Frame is rotated manually by means of the gunner paddling his feet against the section of floor on which he stands.

The Turret Lid is held open at 45 degrees by the tubular steel Turret Lid Stay Frame, against which it abuts, and onto which it is locked by 2 external catches located on the rim of the Turret Lid.

Both these catches are connected to each other by a release rod which runs externally over the top of the Turret Lid which when fully open and held in the locking catches provides armour protection to the exposed back of the driver's head and shoulders.

A single external lever permits the Observer/Gunner to hand release the catches and draw the Turret Lid down to close it.

In the event of the Vehicle being rolled over and then becoming stationary with the wheels on one side and the rim of the Armoured Lid in contact with the ground and with the other set of wheels in the air; then the turret can be rotated for such an emergency manually, or by an electric motor engaging the teeth of the turret assembly so that the armoured Turret Lid Stay Frame is used to right the Vehicle, by being forced upwards by its rotation against the ground.

6) The Mounting Spigot for the internally stowed machine gun is located diametrically opposite the Lid Hinge.

The attachment of the gun to its mounting is such that this also permits independent elevation and limited traverse in the front slot of the Armorglas Glazed Top of Turret Frame.

The machine gun is stowed internally by a double lever and slide arrangement, which permits the weapon to be completely pulled down into the turret by its butt, and secured in quick release clips or straps before the lid is closed down.

To prevent injuries to the gunner from a flailing gun breach at the detonation of an outside explosive device whilst the gun is being fired, the butt of the weapon is attached by tongue and buckle onto its own safety harness.

This is comprised of 2 vertical straps or strings, which are attached diagonally to the Armoured Lid Assembly at the top, and each of which run into 2 inertia reels fixed to the vehicle floor.

The free running buckles, (one for each belt), then engage into 2 sockets located at either side of the gun butt or breach.

7) The gunner's face is protected by a conventional small and hinged Armoured Shield, which projects upwards from the turret rim, and is attached to the gun's Mounting Spigot but not the gun itself.

This shield can fold forwards as the gun is stowed, so that it does not interfere with the opening and closing of the Armoured Turret Lid, or the traversing of the Turret.

The entire Armoured Turret Lid Assembly comprising the Lid Mounting Frame, Lid Stay Frame and the mounted Machine Gun can be rotated through 360 degrees by the gunner paddling with his feet against the floor of the vehicle directly underneath the turret whilst jamming his back against his armoured back plate.

The complete Armoured Lid Assembly together with the attached Machine Gun can be locked in any rotational position by the gunner using the foot operated Lid Assembly Locking Lever/Pedal, which acts against the circle of teeth attached all round the side of the ball bearing track.

8) Projecting vertically downwards from, and attached to Armoured Collar Assembly and able to rotate with it, is the Standing Gunner's Armoured Back Plate.

This takes the form of a 2 piece curved rectangular back plate of armour, (Keviar or aluminium alloy), of such a length that when extended its bottom edge reaches down below buttock level, The hinged bottom section of this plate can fold upwards and locked into the top section so as to provide more space when the Gunner is seated.

The Gunner also has a small fold down seat located into the back face of the Driver's seat, which carries a full restraint harness attached to the driver's seat, for traveling when the vehicle is sealed.

D) The Rear ComDosite Monocoque.

1) The long wide and low monocoque forms the Rear Composite Monocoque, and is the main body of the vehicle and is of pick up' format, with an armoured lid, and carries the 3 passengers sitting semi-reclined, in line abreast on the armoured floor mounted seat pans, located on the right side of the Vehicle just above floor level.

The Rear Composite Monocoque has a single narrow Access Aperture with armour steel Reinforcing Rim which projects above the top surface of the Monocoque.

The Access Aperture has a transparent Armorglas Skylight, which can be opened and closed by hand, and locked from inside.

The Aperture for the Armoured Lid is central and parallel to the axis, in the top of the Inner Steel Rear Monocoque wall, and is moulded into the Polymer Reinforced Spun Concrete Composite Monocoque by means of 2 steel frames, one inside the other and fixed to the inside wall of the Spun Concrete mould before the application of the Outer Porcelain coat and the concrete is spun.

2) The Access Aperture Armoured Lid is hinged on the right of the Access Aperture, and is fixed on extending hinges which permit the Lid to open fully outwards over and onto the right hand surface of the Rear Composite Monocoque, so that in this position it gives additional armour protection for the soldiers firing their weapons with these resting on the rim of the Access Aperture.

The outside one of the inserts comprises the pre-fabncated steel Mounting Frame for the Armoured Lid, which also acts as the Reinforcing Rim of the Access Aperture, and is welded into place around the exposed edge of the Access Aperture which has been set by inserts into the wall of the Rear Inner Steel Monocoque, and the Outside Steel Sleeve, being welded to both.

The inside insert is kept as the steel surround for the sky light and its frame, which is simply pushed out of the Spun Concrete when this has been removed from the mould.

3) The width of the Access Aperture should be no more than 1 metre, so as to give maximum protection to the seated passengers when the Armoured Aperture Lid is open, and yet wide enough for the soldiers to fire their weapons from inside the Vehicle back to back, with their weapons resting on the Rim of the open Access Aperture.

The Access Aperture Armoured Lid is flush with the outside edge of the projecting lip or ridge of its frame when closed.

Normal entry into and exit from the vehicle for the 3 rear passengers is via this open Access Aperture Armorglas Armoured Lid.

The 3 passengers sit semi -reclined and side by side underneath the long rim of Access Aperture along the nflt hand side of the Vehicle, (from the back), facing inwards.

The Seats have armoured and sloping backrests, which are attached onto the Seat Backrest Mounting Frame which is in the form of a ladder of tubular steel, which is welded onto the inside surface of the Rear Inner Steel Monocoque.

The seat backrests are able to fold down after release of their retaining catches from their Mounting Frame, to give access to the storage space behind.

The armoured tailgate allows limited access into the seating of the Rear Monocoque, and for the loading of stores.

E) The Hinged and Armoured Vehicle Nose 1) Following aircraft practice, the vehicle has a complete and hinged nose which acts as the front entry door.

The short oval section Vehicle Nose Extended Mounting Frame is of armour steel and extends forwards sufficiently from the front edge of the Front Monocoque to accommodate and seal the ends of the steering rack which protrude through it.

This Frame is an extended version of a single monocoque Joining Flange and is welded to the front edge of the Front Composite Monocoque in the same way as the separate monocoque joining flanges are attached to their respective monocoque.

The armoured power cables for the electric drive motors on the front wheel hubs also pass through and are sealed in the wall of this Extended Mounting Frame at either side, as do the front brake cables.

This Extended Mounting Frame and its hinges on the front edge of the high and narrow Front Monocoques must be able to carry both front and side impact loads associated with the requirement for the nose to lift the front of the vehicle, over or onto obstacles, associated with its low ground clearance and height.

The tubular steel Under Floor Skids which are attached to the tubes of the External Skeleton aid this process.

2) The entire hinged Vehicle Nose is a single sub assembly, and its armour consists of panels of Armorgias glazed into a fabricated steel frame, (again as in aircraft practice).

Each Armorglas panel has an outer steel skin which is coated on the outside by baked on Glazed Porcelain, to give heat resistance against the bomb's fire ball, and added armour protection The driver sits as far to the left as possible and is protected by a high backed and armoured seat with full aircraft type restraint harness, which is located just behind the opening of the Vehicle hinged Nose.

To aid access into the Vehicle, past the Driver's Seat, the seat back can tilt fully forwards onto the seat pan, and is then able to slide sideways fully against the inside wall.

The sealed Vehicle Battery is located underneath the Driver's Seat, and moves with it.

The central one piece windscreen the 2 side windows and the forward sloping Rear Window of the Front Composite Monocoque are of Armorgias or the latest ALON-tm, transparent armour and are glazed from outside.

As in aircraft practice, the complete and Hinged Nose is operated and locked pneumatically or hydraulically.

The instrument panel, steering wheel and its control stalks are mounted directly onto the Steering Column which is on the left, and is held as a complete sub assembly onto the Front Floor inside the opening of the armoured Hinged Nose by a Steering Column Mounting Bracket.

This Bracket and the Steering Column Assembly can be removed as a complete unit.

The hand brake and control pedals for the electric drive motors are also located in this section of floor, and are also removable; so as to facilitate the installation and removal of the Engine/Alternator together with its castor born Mounting Frame.

One of the 2 Spare Wheels is mounted onto the front outside of the Hinged Vehicle Nose for extra protection.

The External Steel Skeleton comprising 4 Main Structural Longerons 6 Secondary Tubular Structural Longerons and steel Outer Sub frames 1) There is an External Skeleton, fabricated from thin walled high tensile steel tube for the horizontal components, interconnected by vertically set, pressed steel Outer Sub frames which either partially or fully surround the outside Monocoque surface.

The longitudinal tubular components are slid through holes in the Outer Sub frames and then welded to them.

In addition separate Reinforcing Tubes of high tensile steel are used as direct reinforcement of the Joint of the 2 Monocoques, and are bolted at their ends onto the rim of the Monocoque Joint Flanges and then the fixings located on the External Skeleton.

The Mounting Brackets for the Rear Leaf Spring Mounting Pins and Shackles are located on the forward Outer Sub frame (for the front ends of the forward set of springs), the central Outer Sub frame (for the rear of the forward set of springs and the front of the rear set of springs).

The back ends of the rear set of springs are conventionally attached to the back Monocoque Flange which serves as the Tailgate Mounting Frame.

The 4 Main Structural Tubular Steel Longerons run the entire length of the Vehicle along the 4 lines defined by the contact points at the joint of the 2 ovals of the Monocoques, and pass through in each case the requisite holes the rims of joined Joining Flanges, the Tailgate Mounting Frame, the Rim on the front of the Hinged Nose Mounting Frame Extension, and the various Outer Sub frames.

2) There are also 4 additional short Secondary Tubular Steel Longerons which run in between the Main Structural Longerorts, (one each side), along the axis of the Rear Monocoque on the outside, from the Tailgate Mounting Frame forward, onto and through the Joining Flange, and 2 which are located on the axis of the Front Monocoque on the outside, running forward from the Joining Flange onto the front door frame.

These 4 Secondary Tubular Longerons are welded onto the Joining Flanges, the Flanges which constitute the Tailgate mounting Frame and the Front Door mounting frame.

As further reinforcement, there are a further 2 short Secondary Longerons which run centrally along the bottom of the Front and Rear Monocoques On the Front Monocoque there are also 16 Interconnecting Tubes, (8 either side), which connect between the front and rear of the Armoured Collar of the Gun Turret at the top, and then down onto the Secondary Longeron which runs all along the bottom of the Front Monocoque.

The mounting brackets for the 2 lateral torsion bars, the 2 upper wishbones, and tie rods of the Front Suspension on the Front Monocoque are fitted to the Longerons in a similar manner as they are passed forwards through the mounting holes before being welded to them.

All the Longerons and the Outer Sub frames and the individual tubes are pre-coated where practical with ceramic, to increase their heat resistance.

3) The separate Individual Tubes of the External Skeletons are fixed by being bolted onto fittings which have been previously welded onto the rim of the Joining Flanges, and also onto the Tubular Structural Longerons, after the 2 Composite Monocoques have been completed and then joined together by the installation of the 2 Joining Flanges and Flange Bolts.

The 6 lndMdual Support Tubes of the Upper Rear External Skeleton have attachment points located on the front of the lip or rim of the Access Aperture of the Rear Composite Monocoque, and run upwards onto fixings located around the top of the rim of the Joining Flange.

The 2 Support Tubes of the Lower Rear External Skeleton, run upwards from the centre of the bottom rim of the Joining Flanges upwards onto the lower 2 Structural Longerons.

3 Tubes of the Front External Skeleton run forwards from the fixings for the Upper Rear Skeleton on the top of the Joining Flanges onto a single fixing point located in the centre of the rim of the Gun Turret.

The 6 tubes of the Front Side Skeleton run from the Joining Flanges onto the Front Secondary Tubular Longerons, which are located on the side of the Front Composite Monocoque Both these welded tubular steel Skeletons, have tubes which are coated by Ceramic to increase their heat resistance.

G) The Vehicle Floor and Fuel Tank(s) 1) The vehicle's pre-fabricated one piece sheet steel floor is welded along its edges onto the inside steel wall of both of the Front and Rear Inner Steel Monocoques after they have been joined together, the pre-assembled floor being passed forwards from the back.

The space underneath the floor in the Front Monocoque in the 1.5 metre long section directly underneath the Gun Turret is used to house the puncture resistant fuel tanks which are filled from inside the vehicle, via the Turret opening and are installed before the floor is welded into position.

There are 2 spaces along both vertical sides of the fuel tank(s) on the outside, between the tank side and the lower Monocoque inside wall, which are used as passageways to transmit air from the hinged and armoured slats in the front of the Vehicle for the cooling extractor fan which is situated underneath the secondary radiator, located in the base of the Radiator Sump, after this air has flushed through the enclosing Hood of the Engine/Alternator.

The stepped Radiator Sump which houses the 2 engine Radiators and the electrically driven extractor Fan is welded round its rim onto the nm of the aperture in the Vehicle Floor which is located directly underneath the Mounting Frame of the Engine/Alternator unit, and across the joint of the 2 Monocoques.

The deepest section of the Radiator Sump lies fully inside the Front Monocoque, with the shallower section inside the Rear Monocoque, both sections projecting downwards into the space underneath the Floor.

The deepest section of the Sump houses the shrouded extractor fan in the bottom.

This section of Floor is additionally reinforced the 6 depressions into which the ends of the short legs of the Engine/Alternator Mounting Frame engage, and are bolted to the Floor.

2) Located outside of, and running longitudinally and parallel with the side(s) of the Engine/Alternator Mounting Frame, is an open Slot(s) in the Vehicle Floor, which has rolled down sides, these being either pressed through the Floor during its manufacture or welded into the Floor as a collar around the periphery for reinforcement.

This rolled down' edge or the welded on collar to the Slot maintains rigidity of the Floor.

The one piece front section of the Exhaust Down-Pipe(s), (for there will be 2 separate Pipes and 2 slots for a V engine, one either side of the Mounting Frame), is shaped with 2 L' bends with the inverted long legged L' at the top which bolts directly onto the Engine Block.

The bottom L' section, on the end of the down pipe, has a short horizontal leg so that this can pass downwards through the Slot, and then down and along the outside (or either side for the case of 2 exhaust pipes), of the deepest section of the Radiator being secured near to the back; sufficient in its exposed length to permit the joining of the external rear section of exhaust pipe.

The length of the Slot is governed by the length of the bottom horizontal section of the Down-Pipe, and the requirement of feeding its end through the flexible mounting as it exits the bottom of the Front Monocoque at the back.

This arrangement permits the Front Section of the Exhaust Pipe (s), to run down through the Floor and then outside of the Radiator Sump and backwards, so that its free end can protrude through the armoured slats in the rear end of the Front Monocoque at the bottom, to be joined outside the Vehicle, to the external Exhaust Pipe; after the top section has been bolted onto the Engine Block.

3) These Slot(s) in the Vehicle Floor are made sufficiently wide to accommodate a man's arm and are also used to feed through the armoured electrical power and control cables for the 2 front Drive Electric Motors forwards which then exit through the Armed Front Doorframe Extension on the end the Front Monocoque.

The Power Cables for the 4 rear Motors exit in the same manner as the Exhaust Down Pipe and then enter and pass internally along the inside of the lower of the Main Structural Longerons.

The 4 Bowden Cables (2 down each side), which operate the 4 rear Emergency/Parking Brakes use this same exit route from the Front Monocoque and then enter pass down each side of the Rear Monocoque inside the upper Structural Longerons, to then exit these and connect onto the top of the Brake operating levers.

The Sheet steel Sealing Plate(s) is then bolted down around its periphery onto the Vehicle Floor, to seal the entry slot(s).

There is a butyf rubber Annular Sealing Ring attached separately into the face of the Sealing Plate, which can slide along the Exhaust Pipe to seal around it by means of a Locking Plate which bolts into the Sealing Plate, and the flexibility of this Annular Sealing Ring can accommodate the movement of the Exhaust Pipe as the Engine/Alternator rocks on its Mounting Frame.

There is a further Flexible Seal where the Down Pipe exits the bottom of the Front Monocoque, and this has the same function.

The Engine Radiator cooling air exits the Vehicle through the armoured and spring loaded flaps also located in this area.

These are kept open by the exiting air pressure from the cooling fan, and closed by bomb blast pressure.

This Access Panel or the Front Door Frame Extension also permits the exit and sealing of the 4 Rear Diaphragm Brake cables, which can then run externally along the Rear Monocoque.

This frontal area is also the entry point for the Engine Radiator cooling air which is via spring loaded and armoured slats, which are held open by springs but are closed by outside explosive pressure.

The vehicle floor can be also be lined at vulnerable points, (underneath the passengers, driver, and the observer/gunner), with aluminium armour, the entire floor of the vehicle is coated with none slip material, which also helps with sound and vibration damping and heat insulation.

4) The vehicle has an Armoured Tailgate, for the loading and unloading of stores which also acts as an entry and escape route for the rear passengers.

This is made from cast aluminium armour overlaid with a steel outer skin with a baked on Glazed Porcelain coat.

One of the pressed steel Spare Wheels is onto the outside of the tailgate and gives extra protection, the air intake slots for the Rear Air Conditioning Unit, take the form of recesses in the rim of the tailgate, between the edge of the tailgate and its frame.

The other spare wheel is bolted centrally onto the Vehicle's Hinged Nose.

The Rear Air Conditioning Unit is mounted onto the inside face of the tailgate.

The Front Air Conditioning Unit is mounted onto the inside of the Hinged Vehicle Nose, and its intake slots are located in the jamb between the closing of the edge of the Nose and its frame.

The inlets of both Air Conditioning Unit can have graphite filled dust and poisonous gas filters, and be fitted with gas warning devices.

THE ENGINE RADIATORS. Cooling Fan and ENGINE with ALTERNATOR

MOUNTING FRAME

1) The Engine and its directly coupled 260 Kw intermittently rated Alternator joined together as a unit, is mounted onto and within a welded tubular steel Mounting Frame, which has a ladder type base 6 short legs, (3 on each side), and low open sides.

The Frame has 4 retractable castors located inboard of the Frame near to its corners, so that the castors can fully swivel.

The Castor Swivels are mounted onto hinged plates, fixed onto the Mounting Frame which permits the whole Castor once its wheel is above ground, to be folded inwards, and upwards, and then locked against the Frame.

The hinges themselves prevent the splaying out of the Castors.

To prevent inwards collapse, the running axles of opposing pairs of Castors are connected together by removable axle rods, which simply hook by their ends into holes located in the short inside extensions of the Castor axles.

Once each pair of Castors is clear of the floor, these axle rods are removed and the castors are then folded up and locked away.

The bottom ends of the short legs of the Engine/Alternator Mounting Frame engage with and are bolted into depressions in the Floor in order to locate and fix the Mounting Frame, once the Castors have been retracted.

Four screw jacks, one on each corner of the Mounting Frame are used to raise and lower the Frame from and onto its Castors.

This arrangement permits the Frame assembly together with its Engine /Alternator unit already on its mountings to be installed by fork lift truck, through the hinged vehicle nose, before the fitting or after removal of the Driver's Seat, Steering Column, and control pedals.

2) A separate one piece reinforced cardboard Engine/Alternator Hood to totally enclose and to provide an air tight seal for the Engine/Alternator its Mounting Frame, the Exhaust Down Pipe(s), and their exit Slots in the Floor, is then passed on top and over the entire assembly to make it air tight.

Running around the rim of the Hood at the bottom is a flexible rubber Sealing Skirt, which makes an air tight seal with the Vehicle Floor, and also over the various wires and pipes which are laid along the Floor and then onto the Engine/Alternator unit.

The Hood is held down by spring clips which hook onto the Floor from fixings on the sides and ends of the Hood.

The Engine Air intake with its filter is mounted externally on a removable and re-sealable metal panel let into the side or end of the Engine Alternator Hood, with an internal flexible pipe onto the engine inlet manifold.

3) The 2 Vehicle Radiators sit one on top of the other inside the rectangular Radiator Sump which has a stepped bottom and which projects downwards through the Vehicle Floor and into both Monocoques.

This Sump sits astride the joint between the 2 Monocoques and is therefore located directly underneath the Engine/Alternator Mounting Frame, which also overlaps the Monocoque Joint.

The Radiator Sump which is pressed from sheet steel is welded round its edges onto the rim of its rectangular aperture cut into the Vehicle Floor before the latter is fitted.

The front and deeper section of this Sump sits within the Front Monocoque and holds the smaller Secondary Radiator which has wide radiator fins which run laterally across the Sump, with its radiator tubes running front to back.

An oil cooler, where necessary can be positioned directly underneath the Secondary Radiator, between the Secondary Radiator and the Fan.

Located on top of this Secondary Radiator and fully overlapping it is the Primary Radiator, which has the same width, but is longer, and extends backwards into the shallow section of the Radiator Sump which runs inside the Rear Monocoque.

There is a line of lateral holes which are cut through the Vehicle Floor immediately in front of the front face of the Radiator Sump and these permit the entry of air which is pulled by the Extractor Cooling Fan, to travel from the entry slats located in the front of the Vehicle and then passes along the Front Monocoque underneath the Floor, past the sides of the Fuel Tank(s), and then vertically upwards into the Engine/Alternator Hood.

The top face of the Primary Radiator is covered by a removable aluminium panel, which has narrow gap at its back edge to permit the flow of cooling air downwards from inside the Hood, and then into and along the fins of the Primary Radiator.

After circulating round the inside of the Engine/Alternator Hood, the air is drawn along the fins of the Primary Radiator, and then downwards through the Secondary Radiator, (and then the oil cooler if fitted), into the Extractor Cooling Fan, and then exits the Radiator Sump at higher pressure via louvres or nozzles in its bottom or sides, and then through the armoured slats in the back end of the Front Monocoque at the bottom.

These louvres or nozzles angle the higher pressure air flow from the output side of the Fan, backwards which also has the effect of drawing air along the underneath of the Vehicle Floor and past the Exhaust Down-Pipe(s) which lie outside and pass down the deepest sides of the Radiator Sump.

The Primary Radiator has narrower fins because of the reduced Sump space below it in the Rear Monocoque, and these fins run longitudinally front to back with the radiator tubes running across.

4) The projected area of the Primary Radiator can therefore be almost that of the base of the Engine/Alternator Mounting Frame.

The shrouded radiator Extractor Cooling Fan is an electrically driven multi bladed cast aluminium thermostatically responsive type of up to 500 mms diameter, at a maximum rating of 5 Kw.

The use of an extracting fan ensures that the air pressure inside the Engine/Alternator Hood is always lower than that inside the Vehicle, which prevents engine and exhaust manifold heat and fumes from entering the Vehicle's interior.

The Fan's Shroud is attached to the body of the digitally controlled electric Fan Motor, before the fan itself is attached to the Motor Shaft, and its electrical connecting cables run down the inside of the front face of the Radiator Sump.

The limited height available inside the Vehicle for the installation of the Engine/Alternator Hood particularly if this has to be displaced sideways to the left may prevent the use of a conventional oil sump for the engine, and that a dry sump' arrangement is required with a separate pressurised lubricating oil tank and remote electric scavenger pump.

The external connections onto the Engine/Alternator Unit required for engine coolant, lubricating oil, fuel and breathing air, engine/alternator system electrics and power cables, all take place directly from the top of the Vehicle Floor, and are simply bridged by the Hood's Skirt.

The Engine/Alternator Unit can be mounted Engine or Alternator to the front depending on the connections onto the Exhaust Down-Pipe and the ancillaries.

H) Diesel/Electric Drive 1) The development of battery powered electric motors for hybrid cars has resulted in the design and availability of compact high powerlweight ratio electric motors and alternators, together with their invertors and sophisticated control systems, such that the US Department of Energy has issued provisional guidelines (October 2006), for the weight, power and volume of the single driving electric motor for use in such vehicles.

According to these guidelines, the single drive motor should have a rating of 30 Kw continuous and 55 Kw intermittent, at a motor weight of 35 Kilogrammes giving the Drive Motor a power/weight ratio of 0.8 Kw/Kgrms at a maximum volume of 1.0 Kw/litre, (or 32.0 Kw/cubic foot) at the minimum power level needed for a maximum gross vehicle weight of 1200 Kilogrammes.

In the case of the Vehicle proposed in this Patent Application, the requirement is for 6 such electric drive motors -one for each wheel, giving a total motor weight of 210 Kilogrammes (462 Ibs).

Using these parameters, Diesel/Electric drives for multi-wheeled road vehicles can now offer the advantages of engineering simplicity, reliability, improved mechanical efficiency, and reversed current braking especially for smaller fighting vehicles where the additional weight over mechanical drive is not critical.

2) A turbo-diesel engine with a minimum output of 350 HP (261 Kilowatts) is required to be directly coupled to a single 2/3 phase Alternator and Inverter for 6 such wheel hub mounted DC Drive Motors.

The combined weight of the single engine driven directly coupled 180 Kw continuous! 330 Kw intermittent alternator, plus the 6 wheel hub mounted Drive Motors should be no more than 350 Kilogrammes (770 Ibs).

The total weight of these plus the engine weight should therefore be no more than 1.2 tonnes.

At a diameter of 609 mms (24 ins.), a cylindrical Drive Motor continuously rated at 30 Kw should be no more than 88 mms (3.5 ins) wide, or 203 mms (8.0 ins) wide at 305 mms (12.0 ins) diameter.

The 260 Kw directly engine coupled alternator should be no longer than 660 mms (26 ins.), at a diameter of 609 mms (24 ins).

The weight penalty of this electrical drive system above that of a conventional mechanical 6 wheel drive system which uses automatic gearbox, 3 propeller shafts, 1 transfer gearbox, 3 differential units with 6 integral disc brakes, and 6 drive shafts should be acceptable.

3) The direct mounting of the electnc drive motor shafts onto the driving wheel hubs without the use of reduction gearing is problematic; because in this circumstance the DC electric drive motor is at stall condition when the vehicle is stationary, and requires inordinate starting torque to commence rotation of the electric motor shaft arid initial movement of the vehicle at starting of the electric motor.

This demands the use of a clutch in the same way as that needed for the coupling of internal combustion engines to their gearbox, which would otherwise always result in engine stalling when the vehicle is started from stationary.

For this Vehicle, the Drive Motor is mounted and held by its own rear extended shaft, into tapered roller bearings which are fixed into the 2 ends of the Drive Motor Shaft Mounting Tubes, which are welded into and pass through the outer and inner faces of the Leaf Spring and Motor Carriers, and the clutch connects the rear face of the motor's stator or body with the splined section on the outer projecting surface of the Drive Motor Shaft Mounting Tube, via the similarly splined hub of the clutch's friction plate.

With the Drive Motor Shaft and vehicle stationary, the Body or Stator of the Electric Motor is free to rotate when the clutch is disengaged, since it is the clutch which connects the Stator to the Leaf Spring and Motor Carrier.

When the clutch is first briefly released with the vehicle and the Drive motor shaft stationary, the starting current begins to rotate the Stator casing, and as the clutch is gradually engaged and begins to slip as the motor casing begins to be locked against the surface of the Leaf Spring and Motor Carrier, this acts on the electric drive motor shaft to start it to rotate, and as its revs, available power and torque increases as the clutch proceeds towards full re-engagement the vehicle begins to move.

Each of the 4 clutches is mechanically operated by lever and Bowden cable by 4 separate but interconnected foot pedals which can be disconnected individually from the single hydraulically operated master pedal in the cab floor, and a simple floor mounted hydraulic ram interconnects the pedals to the end of the Bowden Cable.

The 4 hand operated electric motor controls for the rear wheels only are interlocked and can be operated separately as in the throttle controls for a multi engined aircraft and are completely separate from the 2 motor controls for the front wheels which do not have clutches, or mechanical brakes as the front wheel motors are only switched on after the vehicle has begun to move.

4) All the Vehicle Wheels and their Drive Motors are situated outside the vehicle's bodywork and save on internal space since there is no intrusion by wheel arches, this also permits the vehicle and its Floor to be set lower because there are no transaxies passing underneath.

The motors do require be completely sealed against high pressure dust and water ingress, and protecting from the bomb's fireball by external pressed steel or cast iron jackets coated in ceramic.

Since there are no drive shafts, the associated debilitating and hard to seal', apertures and slots through the vehicle's armoured monocoque wall necessary to accommodate the their vertical movements are dispensed with.

The much smaller seals required for the power and motor control cable exits are through the monocoque wall.

This is particularly important for the Vehicle proposed in this Patent Application, whose Monocoque combination of Glass, Spun Concrete and Ceramic armour, is particularly vulnerable to cracking around the rims of holes and apertures when exposed to explosive stress.

JI) Shaft Mounted DC Motors and mechanically actuated Diaphragm Spring Clutch and Diaphragm Spring Emergency/Parking Brakes 1) The 4 rear Electric Drive Motors are each located and fixed using the rearwards Extensions to their own Shafts which are mounted into sets of taper roller bearings lying inside the ends the Motor Shaft Mounting Tubes which pass though and have been welded into both the outer and inner faces of the 4 Leaf Spring and Motor Camers towards the bottom, below the lowest spring.

The inside ends of these Tubes extended, beyond the inner faces of the Leaf Spring and Motor Carriers so as to accommodate the circular Brake Mouting and Engagement Rings, which are welded onto them.

The outside ends of these Tubes are extended beyond the outside face of the Leaf Spring and Motor Carrier until they almost touch the inside end face of the Electric Drive Motor Stator when the Motor Shaft Extension is assembled into its bearings and located inside both ends of the Motor Shaft Mounting Tube.

This arrangement permits the longest possible Motor Shaft Mounting Tube, which is necessary to provide maximum support to the Motor Shaft in order to resist bending of the Shaft as the result of wheel impacts.

The outermost section of the Motor Shaft Mounting Tube has external splines which engage with the internal splines in the hub of the Friction Plate of the Clutch.

The Clutch Activating Bobbin/Release Bearing runs along the outside surface of the splined section.

There are 2 sets of taper roller bearings, one at each end of Motor Shaft Mounting Tube which holds the Motor Shaft Extension in place, the inner races of which locate against a shoulder on the Motor Shaft immediately behind the back face of the electric motors Stator in the outside end of the Mounting Tube, and against the Locking Nut which engages with a thread machined on the outside of the Motor Shaft at the inside end of the mounting Tube.

The outer races of the tapered roller bearings abut against internal shoulders, machined into both ends of the Motor Shaft Mounting Tube.

The end of the Motor Shaft Extension which protrudes beyond the inside end of the Motor Shaft Mounting Tube is splined, so as to take the splined central boss of the friction plate of the diaphragm spring brake, which is mounted onto and acts against the back face of the Brake Mounting and Engagement Ring, which is attached as a flange onto the inside end of the Motor Shaft Mounting Tube.

2) The Diaphragm Spring Brake differs in design to that of a conventional diaphragm spring clutch and operates in the opposite mode.

In this case the pressure plate and cover are stationary, and only the friction plate rotates on its central boss located on the splines on the Motor Shaft.

The inwards' motion of the Activating Bobbin/Release Bearing abuts against the back of the central fingers of the diaphragm spring to engage the Brake, the friction plate of which is normally held in constant rubbing contact with the face of the Brake Mounting and Engagement Ring.

In this Brake the Diaphragm Spring is riveted around its outer edge onto the outer face of a separate Diaphragm Spring Mounting Rim, which is of basic U' section and is a sliding fit inside the bucket' section in the back of the Cover.

The other face of the Mounting Rim is bolted into the back of the Cover to locate it, and this permits the required action of the Diaphragm Spring by causing the distortion of the spring and the front face of the fixed Mounting Rim, in which the 2 faces of the Mounting Rim are splayed apart.

Both the Diaphragm Spring and the Pivot Ring are housed inside the short cylindrical step pressed into the back of the Cover.

The Diaphragm Spring tips on the hemispherical heads of a circle of Pivot Studs located in threaded holes in the body of the Pivot Ring.

The other end of these Studs has a hexagon section with a locking nut, to permit their adjustment in the threaded holes of the Pivot Ring, and the tightening of the locking nut holds the Pivot Ring against the back of the Cover.

In this way the pre-loading of the Pressure Plate against the Diaphragm Spring is also achieved.

The Pressure Plate is held inside the Cover in the normal way by 3 external spring steel Straps located on the outside of the Cover, and the Pressure Plate is itself moved by a second Pivot Ring which is riveted centrally onto the Diaphragm Spring.

The Activating Bobbin/Release Bearing for this Brake is located next to the central and internally splined Boss of the Friction Plate, and runs away from this along the end of the splined section of the Motor Shaft Extension.

The Activating Bobbin/Release Bearingfis in 2 parts, consisting of the bearing itself and a cylindrical extension which screws into it after assembly of the Brake onto the Brake Mounting and Engagement Ring, the cylindrical extension having an external raised shoulder to engage with the central doughnut of the Brake Actuating Lever.

3) A conventional Diaphragm Spring Clutch is mounted onto the back face of the Motor Stator, on the axis of the Motor Shaft, and the splines in the Central Boss of its friction plate engage with the external splines on the surface of the outwards extension of the Motor Shaft Mounting Tube.

This arrangement permits the free and independent rotation of the Electric Drive Motor Stator during Motor start up when the Motor Shaft is stationary and the clutch is disengaged.

The Diaphragm Spring Clutch and Diaphragm Spring Brake are operated separately by their own Activating Shaft each of which can slide in or out to operate the Clutch or Brake.

The Clutch is released by the inwards travel of its Activating Shaft; the Brake is engaged by the outwards travel of its Activating Shaft.

Each of the 2 Activating Shafts are located inside its own Activating Shaft Mounting Tube which is welded into and through the 2 faces of the Leaf Spring and Motor Carrier, their axes are on the same diameter directly one above and one below that of the Motor Shaft, and they lie outside that of both the Clutch and Brake, with that for the Brake being furthest out.

The outside end of the Clutch Activating Shaft is pinned onto the end of the Clutch Release Lever Fork which pivots against a round headed stud which screws into the front face of the Leaf Spring and Motor Carrier, a small extension spring holds this in place.

The Fork engages with the Clutch Activating/Bearing Bobbin in the usual way.

The Brake Engagement Fork which uses its forked inside end to pivot against the head of a Stud which screws into the back face of the Leaf Spring and Motor Carrier; just beyond the periphery of the Brake, and the outside end of the Fork is pinned onto the inside end of the Brake Activating Shaft.

The central doughnut of this Lever which carries a thrust bearing engages the shoulder of the separate cylindrical extension of the Brake Activating Bobbin.

4) The Brake and Clutch Activating Shafts are caused to slide in their respective Activating Tube by the action of Short Levers which have a fork at one end locating into a slot cut into the free end of the Activating Shaft and the other ends of which are attached to the inner of a Bowden Cable which passes through the outer and inner faces of the Leaf Spring and Motor Carrier.

The Short Levers are pivoted on studs which screw into the face of the Leaf Spring and Motor Carrier, such that tensioning of the inner of the Cable causes them to operate.

The Short Lever for the Brake is located on the outside face of the Leaf Spring and Motor Carrier, and that for the Clutch on the inside face, with their respective Bowden Cables pointing outside for the Brake and inside for the Clutch.

These Short Levers are necessary to magnify the movement of the Bowden Cable onto the Clutch and Brake Activating Bearing/Bobbins.

5) The 4 Rear Suspension Bottom lateral Radius Rods connect into locating eyes welded onto each of the Leaf Spring and Motor Garners at the bottom.

Each Leaf Spring and Motor Carrier is connected to the end of its Radius Rod by means of a Sliding Link which slides along the end of the Radius Rod, and which connects with the Hub Carrier by means of a short Connecting Rod which has pivots at both ends.

The stators or bodies of the 2 Drive motors for the front wheels are bolted directly onto conventional steer able Hub Carriers which connect with the outside ends of the lower Radius Arms at the bottom and with the Wishbones at the top.

There are no mechanically operated Clutches or EmerqencylParking brakes on the electric drive motors for the 2 front wheels.

For in this case, the 2 lower Front Radius Arms are attached to the 2 Longitudinal Torsion Bars, (one each side low down), which are anchored at both ends into fixings attached to Front Main Sub frames.

Conventionally sited telescopic action shock absorbers are fitted between the wishbones of the front suspension, and the top of the Leaf Spring and Motor Carriers of the rear suspension but these take the form of cylindrical electrically activated solenoids, the central rods of which are attached to the suspension components in each case.

The external bump stops are in the form of welded circular steel hoops mounted onto the shock absorber by means of a long bolt which passes through the hoops, and is welded into the top of the telescopic shock absorber.

The 2 Front Tie Rods (when fitted), are similarly attached, but these may be replaced or supplemented by a front anti-roll bar, which passes under the bottom of the Front Composite Monocoque, and is attached to the 2 lower Structural Longerons.

The Front Upper Wishbones are attached further up the Front Main Sub frame.

6) The pressed steel disc Wheels have a central hole which can run over a semi-conical Pressed Steel Cap which has a sealed outer end, and a tubular body.

The tubular body of the Cap is a hard push fit onto the raised central shoulder located on the outer surface of the Wheel Hub and in this way; the pressed steel cap encloses and seals the Hub Retaining Nut and its Split Pin.

The Cap is held at the back by means of its rolled up edge which is trapped behind the Vehicle Wheel when this is fully installed.

The function of the Cap is to assist in the installation of the heavy Vehicle Wheel onto the Hub.

The Wheels have solid flame retardant foam filled tyres and integral rims, which are separately bolted onto the Wheel rim.

The outside faces of the Wheels are covered by a mosaic of reflective ceramic tiles designed to protect the Electric Drive Motors behind them from the bomb's fireball.

The 1220 mms (4 feet), outside diameter wheel and tyre combination is fixed by extra long Hub wheel bolts which screw into the Hub Flange.

K) The ear Suspension 1) The simplest and most effective wheel configuration giving lowest axle loading and best handling is that having 6 driven wheels, with a bogey of 4 none steering independently sprung wheels as far back as possible.

In order to save interior body space by eliminating wheel arches and to permit the rear wheels to be located furthest back, and also to accommodate the largest vertical wheel movements, all the vehicle's wheels are located completely outside the vehicle's body.

The 4 Rear Electric Drive Motors are each attached onto the bottom of their own Leaf Spring and Motor Carrier, and each of these holds 2 Leaf Springs, one Upper Spring and one Lower Spring, making 8 Leaf Springs in all.

The Leaf Spring and Motor Carriers, are made from rectangular section cold drawn steel tube, and each Leaf Spring is held in its slot in the front and back sides of the Motor Carrier by tapered locking wedges, which are pulled tight against the sides of the slots by mounting blocks which are attached to the spring before they are slid through the slots, and pulled against the wedges by bolts which pass through the front face of the Motor Carrier.

2) Each pair of Leaf Springs is mounted in parallel, such that the axes of the Electric Motor Shafts are set below the bottom leaf of the Leaf Spring in each case.

In the couplet of Leaf Springs, one spring sits above the other and both are held in their own slot cut into the front and rear faces of the Leaf Spring and Motor Carrier, and each spring is held in the slot by 2 rectangular section cast iron Spring Locating Blocks and their 2 Locking Wedges situated one above the top and one below the bottom Blocks.

The top and bottom edge of each slot in the Leaf Spring and Motor Carrier is slanted so as to engage with the Locking Wedges, one on top of and one underneath each of the Spring Locating Locking Blocks.

One Spring Locating Locking Block sits on the top surface of the top leaf of the spring, and the other one underneath the bottom leaf of the spring.

Both Blocks are insulated from direct contact with the springs by means of Insulating Pieces of butyt rubber sandwiched in-between the spring leaf and the Spring Locating Blocks.

These Locating Blocks and their the Locking Wedges have central holes to take the long single Spring Locating Peg of each Spring, which passes through all of them and the entire leaf spring in each case.

The top and bottom edges of each of the slots in the Leaf Spring and Motor Carrier are tapered so that when the Locating Block Mounting Bolts (2 for each Block), which locate into tapped holes in the side of each Block, and pass through the outside wall of the Leaf Spring and Motor Carrier are tightened, the entire assembly is locked into the Hub Carrier.

3) For simplicity the 8 Leaf Springs are identical.

The 2 Blocks, the 2 Locking Wedges, and their Insulating Pieces are first assembled (one above and one below the spring), onto the Locating Peg of each leaf spring and held in position by string or tape.

This sub-assembly is then passed through the respective Slot of the Leaf Spring and Motor Carrier.

The Blocks are then fixed to the spring by the use of' the 2 U' bolts, which are locked onto the protruding ends of the Blocks.

Each Leaf Spring and its 2 attached Blocks and Locking Wedges are retained in the body of the Hub and Spring Gamer by the 4 external screws which pass through outer face of the Hub and Spring Carrier from the outside to engage with the 2 tapped holes in each of the Locating Blocks.

Each of the central Spring Shackles located on the middle sub-frame takes the front mounting pin of the rear spring as its own mounting pin located at the top of the Shackle, whilst the bottom of the Shackle takes the pin in the back end of the front springs.

The back eyes of the back pair of Leaf Springs are mounted into a Double Shackle, which is hinged at its centre on its own attachment pin.

4) The inner ends of the 4 Rear Suspension Lower Radius Rods which give lateral support to the bottom Leaf Spring and Motor Carriers are attached by Pins onto the appropriate main Sub frames, which themselves are fixed to both the lower Tubular Structural Longerons and the central Short Longeron.

The Top Leaf Springs have the additional purpose of adding lateral support to the Bottom Springs and also preventing wind up', of the Bottom Springs due to torque reaction.

All 4 bottom Leaf Springs are mounted above the axis of the Motor Shafts.

5) The Sub frame which cames the front eyes of the forward pair of Rear Leaf Springs has a reinforcing Rod which bolts forwards onto fixings located on the rim of the Monocoque Joining Flange.

If necessary further reinforcing rods can be added between the Leaf Spring Mounting Points to connect them.

Since the outside end of the Bottom Radius Rod moves outwards as the rear suspension moves upwards, it is preferable that the Leaf Spring and Motor Carriers remain vertical during this process, which requires the use of a Sliding Link between the Radius Rod and Leaf Spring and Motor Carrier.

By having the outer end section of the Radius Rod bent downwards and arranging for the Sliding Link to slide on this section, and then connecting the Sliding Link to the Hub Gamer by means of a short Connecting Rod and pins, such that lateral support is given to the Leaf Spring and Motor Carrier during those rapid suspension movements which cause the Sliding Link to snatch and lock onto the Radius Rod.

Only during the slower suspension movements does sliding takes place.

U The Front Suspension The Front Suspension comprises a conventional Longitudinal Torsion Bar arrangement on each side, with the rear of each Torsion Bar locked into its sub frame, which is mounted on the 2 lower Main Structural Longerons and the 2 Short Longerons underneath.

The longer Bottom Wishbones/Radius Arms, which work the front and free ends of the Torsion Bar are attached between Sub frames located on the lower Structural Longeroris as they pass along the outside of the Front Composite Monocoque.

The Upper shorter Wishbones are similarly attached to sub frames welded onto the upper Structural Longerons.

The bodies 2 front wheel Electric Drive Motors, with their Starting Motors are bolted directly onto conventional Front Hub Carriers, which also attach the front Tie Rods, (or the ends of the front anti-roll bar), and Steering Arms, since there are no mechanical brakes on the front wheels.

The Tie Rods are held by fixings at their inside ends to the lower Structural Longerons, and the anti-roll bar passes underneath the Front Composite Monocoque, and is held by 2 fixings, one on each of the lower Structural Longerons.

To prevent the need for holes in the Monocoque wall to accommodate the steering arms from the ends of the internally located Steering Rack, this is mounted on the front edge of the forward section of vehicle floor of the Front Composite Monocoque, with the ends of the rack protruding through the jamb of the Mounting Frame of the Hinged Vehicle Nose at both sides, or through the short armoured extension to the door frame! Front Flange.

M) Vehicle Armour Ml) The controlled and close tolerances of the dimensions of and the continuous oval surface of the 2 Inner Steel Monocoques together with their outside coat of Tempered Glass Hoops allows them to be slid inside the 2 appropriate lengths of conventional Polymer Reinforced Spun Concrete pipe with its oval cross section bore.

The outer steel sheath with its porcelain coat wrapped in the high tensile reflective and heat resistant bandage surround and protects the outside surface of the Spun Concrete from the heat of the bomb's fireball.

The openings for the steel frame inserts for the gun turret in the Front Monocoque and for the Access Aperture in the Rear Monocoque are cut into the inner steel core and outer Steel Sheath, and blanked into the mould for the spun concrete.

The frames are then inserted from the outside and welded to the inside of the inner Steel Monocoque and the outside of the Steel Sheath after the former has been fixed into the concrete.

This combination can also offer some penetration resistance, provided that the process of spilling in or out' and displacement of the splintered ceramic by the incoming shot is contained, these 2 materials are also economic, and have in combination very low heat conductivity.

The outer and inner steel and glass encasements are necessary for the Spun Concrete armour layer so as to resist and contain any such impact fragments generated from the internal and external surfaces of the Polymer Reinforced Spun Concrete wall formed as shrapnel or shot penetrates the concrete.

The inside wall of both inner steel Monocoques can also be lined at appropriate places with sections of Keviar cast aluminium armour which is held in place by adhesive.

M2) External Anti RPG and Heat absorbent Armour a) In order to resist penetration by the nose of the narrow cylindrical column of concentrated explosive gases at hyper pressure, generated by these weapons on detonation of the explosive charge within their hollow container in the warhead, means must be found to disrupt and disperse this column of gas by allowing the hyper pressure within the column to rapidly leak away, immediately on impact, since once penetration starts, the walls of the penetration contain this hyper pressure as the column progresses through the armour layer.

It is the proposal of this Patent Application that lengths of extruded aluminium or rigid plastic Tubes, with open ends and filled with high melting point wax, which are of the correct shallow double D', cross section with interlocking sides, are threaded and held tightly together laterally by vertical threads or wires.

The wax filled Tubes are laid horizontally along the outside surface of both of the Vehicle's Monocoques; the double 0 cross section of the tubes resists parting of the tubes and also permits the hinging of the tubes on the line of contact.

These tubes in the order of 100 mms, across, are slung horizontally over the outside of the Vehicle, (including its external skeletons), and then strapped on.

Shorter versions of these tubes are mounted vertically on the Hinged Nose of the vehicle below the windscreen, and on the Tailgate.

These Tubes are filled with a hard, high melting point wax, (150 degrees C), and are bound together by high tensile tape or steel wire and laid horizontally in contact with the outside armour layer of the Vehicle.

The material and thickness of the walls of these Tubes determines the initial impact shock given onto the incoming RPG warhead, and the hardness and volume of the solid wax inside determines the rate of collapse of the tubes prior to the detonation of the warhead.

The binding together of these Tubes or candles', is achieved by simply threading them like beads onto a series of steel wires, before they are filled with molten wax and then they are held tightly against each other by crimped washers.

These candles serve to permit some initial penetration by the RPG's warhead beak but are hard enough to offer a sufficiently long and initial impact shock to the warhead to prematurely detonate it by activating its proximity/delay firing mechanism, before the nose of the warhead strikes the outside surface of the vehicles outside armour layer underneath the candles in the required manner so as to set up the penetration by the head of the column of explosive gases from the hollow charge.

At the point of the explosive gases being formed and concentrated into this narrow column at hyper pressure, the column instantaneously vapounses the candles it strikes outwards from the point of impact, and also vapounses and melts a large area of the candles further out, which causes the break up and rapid expansion of the column of gas before it can continue to generate and sustain the necessary hyper pressure since this bursts out into the atmosphere as a normal', explosion.

Gases from the explosion can also escape through and along the tubes following the instantaneous melting and vapounsation of both the tubes and wax inside, radiating and causing the blowing out of liquefied wax, at points further along the tubes from the impact of the RPG warhead.

During the vapourisation process, these wax filled Tubes or candles will also absorb heat from the fire ball of a roadside bomb, and reduce the instantaneous impact temperature at the surface of the Ceramic armour layer.

M3) Additional Armour Because of the smooth and continuous outside surface of both of the joined Composite Monocoques, and their heat resistance, additional armour layers may be sprayed onto or attached onto their surfaces, before the installation of the External Tubular Steel Skeleton.

The use other none metallic armours is also possible.

Further external anti-penetration armour in the form of separate saddle packs' of disc mail, or pebbles, can be added to the outside of the vehicle simply by being slung over and strapped, onto the outside of the vehicle's body at vulnerable points.

0) Vehicle Brakes Exposure to the bomb's high temperature fire ball of up to 2000 degrees Centigrade precludes the use of external hydraulic components for the vehicle's braking system, suspension and dampers since all the hydraulic seals and hoses will fail at these temperatures.

This entails the use of heat insulated cylindrical Electric Solenoid Dampers, steel bump stops and secondary mechanical brakes throughout.

Electric Solenoid Dampers have the added advantage of wide and adjustable damping rates which are easily controlled automatically from inside the Vehicle.

The cylindrical bodies of the Solenoids, together with their bump stops in the form of hoops of spring steel are bolted onto fixing brackets located on the appropriate External Skeleton component.

Their actuating rods are attached either to the top of the Leaf Spring and Motor Carriers for the rear suspension, and the bottom swivel joint for the front suspension.

This Diesel/Electric powered Vehicle relies principally on reverse current braking from the 6 electric drive motors, supplemented by mechanically operated diaphragm brakes which act on the face of the Brake Mounting and Engagement Ring which is welded onto the inside end of the Motor Shaft Mounting Tubes for the rear 4 wheels only.

P) Amphibious Conversion The basic design is such that at a length of 5.5 metres (18 feet) and a weight of approximately 5.5 tonnes the vehicle Will float with the water level on its centre line.

Minor modifications are necessary since the intakes and exits for the engine radiator cooling air have to be moved from the bottom of the Front Monocoque underneath the vehicle floor into the roof space above the sheet aluminium ceiling, which has to be installed in the top of the Front Monocoque.

The front and rear bottom air entry and exit slats are sealed; and equivalent open slats have to be moved onto the front and rear of the Front Monocoque at the top.

The Ceiling which has been glued into the roof of the Front Monocoque fulfills the same role as that of the space beneath the vehicle floor, in moving air from the front entry slats into the rear exit slats, but this time at the top rather than the bottom of the Front Monocoque.

Internal ducting attached to the inside wall of the Front Monocoque is then used to carry the incoming air downwards from the space above the Ceiling into the now sealed space underneath the Vehicle Floor, and then upwards into and through the ceiling after leaving the radiator fan, after which it then exits the vehicle through the slats located top rear.

Baffle plates are used as before at the end of the exit duct, to divert backwards the exiting heated air from the Radiator Cooling Fan, which also has the effect of dragging fresh air from the top inlet slats with it.

With the addition of a small amount of external stabilising ballast, and modifications to secure underwater seals for the Electric Drive Motors and supply cables, front access door, tailgate, radiator systems and breathing air, then the Vehicle can be converted for fully amphibious use.

In this condition the vehicle can be driven and steered by the addition of a bolt on', conventional outboard or electric/hydraulically driven propeller and rudder unit(s), mounted onto outside of the armoured tailgate, and steered and controlled electronically by a plug in' system connected the vehicles steering wheel and vehicle controls inside the cab, which would make the vehicle truly boat like.

ftj A General Purpose Armoured 6 wheeled Diesel FElectric all wheel drive Military Fighting Vehicle or Diesel/Electric 4 wheel drive Police Vehicle of Monocoque structure intended to replace the obsolescent Land Rover and Humvee, and which in the Military Version is designed to resist the short lived 2000 degree centigrade fireball, and the blast of a roadside bomb or mine, and whose largely none metallic armour is not penetrated by shrapnel or high velocity bullets up to 0.5 ins calibre.

This Patent Application also proposes a new and simple strap on', form of anti-RPG and heat absorbent armour The Military Version is equipped with a machine gun, has a crew of 2, (the driver and the standing observer/machine gunner immediately behind), and can carry 3 fully equipped soldiers, as passengers, it weighs approximately 5.5 tonnes empty and 6.5 tonnes fully laden, and has at least 70 BHP per tonne performance when fully loaded and powered by a turbo charged automotive diesel engine of 298 kW or 400 HP The vehicle is self righting, after being tipped over, by means of rotating the Turret and its Turret Lid Support Frame against the ground by the internal emergency electric Turret drive motors.

The Vehicle's main structure comprises 2 all steel monocoques of similar oval cross section but differing length, which are each formed by the external distortion by hydraulic press of 2 lengths of circular steel pipe of the appropriate diameter wall thickness and material, when cold.

The 2 Monocoques are joined on the same axis but rotated through 90 degrees, which gives the tall narrow Monocoque at the front and the wide narrow Monocoque at the back.

The cross section of the 2 now oval inner steel monocoque is then adjusted so that short hoops of cast and pressed tempered glass armour can be slid over them and fixed by adhesive, and the combination then inserted into 2 polymer reinforced spun concrete monocoques, each of which has an external steel sleeve, and which has been previously coated with an outside bonded layer of Glazed Porcelain which is baked on before the external steel sleeve is inserted into the Polymer Reinforced Spun Concrete Mould prior to the spraying on and spinning of the concrete.

The Outer Sheet Steel Sleeve holding the spun concrete has steel inserts attached to its inside surface which are used as surrounds to form the required holes and entries through the concrete wall, for the gun turret and access hatch of the pick up' body.

The 2 completed oval sectioned monocoques are joined together end to end, with their largest diameters at right angles and on a common central axis.

This is done using 2 Monocoque Joining Flanges, one welded onto each end of each monocoque.

The core of each Flange corresponds to the combined outline of sections of the joined monocoques, and the Flanges receive support from welded on collars on the end of each monocoque.

These Joining Flanges operate as the normal flanges used to join lengths of circular section pipe, and are pulled together by high tensile Flange Bolts.

4 Main Structural Longerons of tubular steel pass entirely along the full length of the Vehicle, (2 each side), being located along parallel lines passing through the 4 points of intersection, where the 2 Monocoques join.

These Longerons pass through and are welded to vertically orientated Sub frames which either fully or partially surround both Monocoques, or are used to mount the front and rear suspension components, and the tubes of the Front and Rear External Tubular Skeletons.

The ends of these Longerons pass through and are welded to Door Frame Extension of the Hinged Vehicle Nose, and the armoured Tailgate Mounting Frame at the rear.

Both these components are versions of the Joining Flanges.

To additionally reinforce the joint of the monocoques there is an External Skeleton of Glazed Porcelain coated high tensile steel tube, which is bolted on after the monocoques have been joined.

The tubes of the external skeleton enclosing the Rear Monocoque, run down from the rim of the Joining Flanges at the top, and are welded at the other end onto 2 curved tubes which travel down the side of the Rear Monocoque at the front and which are then bolted onto the front Frame of the Access Aperture cut in the top of the Rear Monocoque.

The tubes of the external skeleton enclosing the Front Monocoque, run across in triangles, from the rim of the Joining Flange at its centre where they are bolted, onto a U' tube which runs under and half way around the Front Monocoque, to which the other ends are welded.

Straight and parallel tubes then run forward from this "U' tube and are bolted onto the rim of the Reinforcing Hoop which surrounds and is welded onto the Mounting Frame of the Hinged Vehicle Nose.

The Front External Skeleton has the purpose of dissipating the energy of frontal impacts, since it also serves as the mounting frame for the Protective Cage under the vehicle's nose.

The hinged and armoured nose serves as the Front Access Door and its opening contains the floor mounted vehicle's steering wheel and controls behind the centrally located sloping single flat and armoured windscreen and the entire nose section is opened and closed hydraulically or by compressed air.

J The short and tall front monocoque houses the vehicle driver on the right at the front, inside the door opening, with the manually operated central gun turret with its internally mounted machine gun, immediately behind.

Behind the gun turret, the turbo diesel engine coupled to its alternator is located as far to the left of centre as possible, with the engine block lying across the joint of the 2 Monocoques to reinforce this join.

The Engine/Alternator Unit is fixed onto a shallow Mounting Frame of tubular steel which has 4 castors mounted onto hinges underneath, which allow the castors to fold upwards and inwards.

The castors are kept vertical by removable axle rods which hook into the inside ends of the castor's axle pins.

The 4 pillar screw jacks fixed to the Mounting frame are then extended so that the castors can be retracted, and then the jacks released to permit the feet of the Mounting Frame to locate into and then be bolted into the locating depressions in the vehicle floor, so securing the Mounting Frame.

This arrangement permits the Engine/Alternator Unit and its Mounting Frame to be fitted by forklift through the vehicle nose, and then wheeled into position.

A stepped one piece, pressed steel Radiator Sump which is let into and welded into the vehicle floor directly above the join of the Monocoques, houses the 2 engine radiators and has the extracting cooling fan located in the bottom of the deepest step, below the radiators.

The projected area of the Radiator Sump is only slightly less than that of the Engine Alternator Mounting Frame.

The deepest part of the Sump lies inside the Front Monocoque underneath the floor, the shallowest part of the Sump is similarly located but underneath the floor of the Rear Monocoque.

Once in position directly over the Radiator Sump, the Engine/Alternator Unit and its Mounting Frame are totally enclosed by a Hood of reinforced cardboard which has a sealing skirt running around the bottom and this forms an airtight seal when held by its external fixings against the top of the vehicle floor.

This skirt is able to accommodate and seal over the various wires and tubes which connect onto the Engine/Alternator Unit and which are fed to it along the floor.

The engine's air intake and filter are mounted externally onto the end of their rigid pipe, and then through the Hood.

The 2 engine radiators are mounted one above the other in the radiator sump.

The upper radiator has longitudinal narrow fins and lateral tubes which fill the entire opening of the Sump, the width of its fins being dictated by the available space underneath the floor of the Rear Monocoque.

The upper radiator has a removable aluminium top cover which is shorter than the radiator so as to form an exposed slot at its back end, which when in position permits air to enter through this directly from the Hood, and then along the radiator fins, and then down through the fins of the lower radiator.

The lower radiator which has only the cross sectional area of the deepest part of the Sump has wide lateral fins and longitudinal tubes.

The electrically driven extracting fan situated in the bottom of the Sump underneath the lower radiator draws air from inside of the Hood, down through the 2 radiators.

Incoming air enters the Hood through a lateral slot in the floor Just forward of the Radiator Sump from under the floor of the Front Monocoque, and exits through baffle plates or nozzles located in the bottom of the Sump below the extracting fan.

The bottom L' section of the engine exhaust down pipe(s), pass down through the floor via longitudinal slot(s), which are cut trough the floor outside and along the side of the Engine Alternator Mounting Frame, (but still inside the Hood).

After connection the slot(s) are sealed by an aluminium plate which screws onto the floor.

The exhaust pipe(s) exit the vehicle through seals located in the space at the back of the Front Monocoque at the bottom, where the 2 Monocoques join.

D The Observer/Machine Gunner stands on top of the flat floor, inside the circular machine gun mounting turret, with its armoured lid, and which is located in the roof of the front section of the vehicle on the right and just forward of the front right corner of the engine block.

The turret rests on a ball bearing carriage and is rotated through 360 degrees by the gunner paddling his feet against the floor immediately underneath.

The turret can be locked in any rotational position by either a foot and or hand brake.

The turret is also equipped with emergency drive electric motors which are used to rotate the turret after the Vehicle has been tipped over, righting it by means of driving the Armoured lid Stay Frame against the ground.

In order to restrain the gunner immediately after the explosion of a road side bomb, he has a full safety harness which is attached to a curved armoured back plate which extends downwards from the base of the swiveling turret.

The top of this curved and armoured back plate is located in the region of the turret hinge, and extends downwards as far as the back of the gunners knees and rotates with the turret.

The bottom section of this back plate folds upwards, and can be locked to save space when the gunner is seated The breach of the internally stowed machine gun has its own restraint harness to prevent it from flailing during and after the burst of a roadside bomb, and injuring the gunner By pushing his back and buttocks against this back plate, the gunner is able to manually rotate the ball bearing mounted gun turret with ease.

When the Gun Turret lid is closed, the gunner sits on a fold down seat which is attached to the back of the Driver's Seat, and which has its own restraint harness.

The Turret has an armoured lid which locks when open at 45 degrees, onto the Turret Lid Stay Frame, which protects the head and shoulders of the gunner from behind and also when the vehicle is rolled over.

Rotating the Turret by means of a mechanical handle or emergency air driven or electric motor, with the open Turret Lid locked into its Stay Frame is used to right the Vehicle after roll over.

The wide low and long monocoque at the rear makes the pick up' style vehicle body, and accommodates the passengers, 3 sitting semi -reclining in line side by side along the right side of the vehicle, underneath the edge of the pick up' Access Aperture.

The Access Aperture of the pick up body being fitted with an outward opening and hinged and armoured aircraft door type lid with a skylight of Armorgias, which is equipped with an internal lock, and the passenger seating is arranged such that they are situated well inside and under the rim of the access aperture on the right, by tifting back the seat backrests which can also lined with armour.

g Recent developments in the design of light and compact electric drive motors and their control ancillaries used in the latest versions of electric i"hybrid drive' cars means that the advantages of DC electrical drive can now be applied to wheeled armoured vehicles, by mounting the rearwards extended shafts of the individual drive electric motors inside taper roller bearings located in tubes welded onto the rear suspension and the shafts of the 2 front motors locked into the wheel hub, without the use of reduction gearing.

Instead the necessary reduction in motor starting torque entails the use of conventional mechanically operated diaphragm spring clutches onto only the 4 electric drive motors attached to the rear wheels, so that these motors can start with the vehicle and their shafts stationary and the stator or motor casings able to rotate.

This is done by connecting the body or stator of the drive motor via the clutch onto a fixed component of the suspension, which allows the stator to rotate with the motor shaft, fixed when full starting voltage is applied with the clutch disengaged.

Gradual engagement of the clutch causes the vehicle to move forwards as the motor shaft begins to rotate.

This also permits interior wheel arches to be dispensed with, since all the wheels are located outside the monocoque wall.

The Vehicle described is 6 wheel drive, (4 wheel drive in the Police version), DiesellElectric powered and has a single brushless electric motor of 30 Kw constant or 55 Kw intermittent rating incorporated into each of the driving wheels, all supplied by a single directly coupled engine driven alternator of 240 Kw constant, (320 HP) 330Kw (442HP) intermittent.

This requires a turbo charged diesel engine of 335 kW (450 HP) to drive it.

The 4 wheel drive version for Police use has 4 electric drive motors on the rear wheel bogey only requiring an engine coupled 160 Kw, (215 HP) engine driven generator.

The mechanically operated diaphragm spring brakes are of differing design to the diaphragm spring clutches and operate in the opposite mode, whereby the engagement thrust bearing acts against the back of the fingers of the diaphragm spring instead of the front, so as to engage the brake.

Both the clutches and brakes are operated by Bowden cable by foot pedals and have hydraulic assistance from cylinders mounted onto the cab floor.

There are no mechanical brakes or clutches on the front wheels.

The 2 front wheels are not driven for the basic Police vehicle meant only for urban road use, and all wheels have solid or foam filled tyres, and all 6 wheels are situated completely outside the outer wall of the monocoque body.

f The Vehicle has longitudinal torsion bar suspension at the front, operated by the long bottom radius arms or wishbones, these and the short upper wishbones act on a conventional steer-able hub carrier into which is locked either the normal front wheel hubs for the 4 wheel drive Police version, or the 2 front electric drive motor stators or bodies in the6 wheel drive Military version.

Steering is by power assisted rack and pinion, with the steering rack being mounted internally on the Vehicle floor with the ball ends of the rack protruding outside through the seals of the hinged vehicle nose, or extended mounting frame, but through the wall of the front monocoque.

The Vehicle has Leaf Spring independent suspension for all 4 rear wheels, utilising a system of 2 parallel Leaf Springs of equal length per wheel, (8 identical Leaf Springs in total), located one above the other in each pair, and fixed into slots in the Leaf Spring and Motor Carrier.

The purpose of the upper springs is to resist wind up' of the lower spring due to torque reaction and braking, and also to add lateral support to the Leaf Spring and Motor Carrier.

The Suspension Bump Stops comprise circles or rings of spring steel, located by slots through which the actuating rods of the Electric Solenoid Dampers pass, and which are distorted by compression between the body of the Damper and the outside of the Monocoque.

The rearwards extended shaft of each of the 4 Electric Drive Motors for the rear wheels runs inside taper roller bearings located in the ends of tubes which pass through and are welded into the Leaf Spring and Motor Carrier below the bottom main' leaf spring, and the Radius Rod needed as the main lateral support member is connected via a short link and adjustment fork onto the bottom of the Leaf Spring and Motor Carrier.

The inside end of this Rod has a normal pin connection with one of the lower of the 4 Main Structural Longerons, (2 per side), All the suspension dampers are electrically driven solenoids, the damping rates of which are controlled either manually or automatically from inside the vehicle' since the high bomb fire ball temperatures preclude the use of hydraulic components.

The Vehicle's main Armour consists of a Polymer Reinforced Spun Concrete oval sectioned pipe, which slides over and encloses the oval Inner Steel Monocoque and its outer coat of separate Tempered Glass Hoops.

These Glass Hoops are slid individually over the Inner Steel Monocoque and are then glued to this and each other.

The Spun Concrete has an Outer Sheet Steel Sleeve which is coated on the outside surface with a layer of baked on Glazed Porcelain.

Finally the outer Glazed Porcelain surface is wound over by a heat resistant and reinforced reflective Bandage which is bonded to it.

The function of the double steel encasement of the Spun Concrete and the outer Bandage is to contain the splintering fragmentation and displacement of the Concrete and Porcelain outer layer, which increases the penetration resistance of these layers.

Their combined low thermal conductivity protects the vehicle occupants and its vital systems from the short lived 2000 degree C., bomb Fire Ball.

The external and add on anti-RPG armour, comprises of bundles of long hard wax filled tubes of aluminium or plastic, of specific double D' cross section, which interlock and can hinge along the lines of contact, and mounted and held horizontally against each other by being threaded onto a series of steel wires or cables and retained by crimped washers; laid lengthwise along the outside body of the Vehicle and then strapped on.

The purpose of these hard wax filled tubes is to pre-detonate the delay/proximity fuses of the latest long nose RPG's, and to permit the hyper-pressure in the gases of the concentrated explosive column generated by the hollow charge, which drives the penetration, to burst out as it vapourises both the tubes and their contained wax, so preventing the formation of that narrow column of explosive gases at hyper pressure which is necessary to penetrate the armour layers underneath.

The vapourisation of these tubes and their internal high melting point wax will absorb some heat from the fire ball and the relative timescale of this process compared to the life of the bomb's fire ball will reduce the impact temperature on the vehicle's surface.

ku At a length of 5.6 metres (18.5 feet), and weight of 5.5 tonnes, the vehicle will float on its centre line, and can be adapted for full amphibious use by the addition of steer able outboard motors fixed onto the back of the tailgate.

The most significant modification needed to achieve this, is the transfer of the engine radiator cooling air intakes and exits from underneath the floor of the Front Monocoque, up into the roof space above the now required aluminium ceiling; so that the incoming and exiting air can be transferred downwards and then upwards by ducting attached to the inside wall of the Front Monocoque.

Adequate sealing for the front entry door, tailgate, engine exhaust, electric motors and their power cables, should already be present since the Vehicle is routinely sealed against dust and gas ingress when all the access doors are shut.

KEY to DRAWING FIGURE 1 Complete Vehicle.

FIGURE

Sectional View of Rear Monocoque showing seating of passengers.

Sectional View of Front Monocoque showing driver in central position.

A Rear Suspension Cross member B Gun Turret Height C Driver's Eye Level D Driver's Seat Height E Floor Level (for both Front and Rear Monocoques) F Outline of Rear Monocoque.

G Outline of Front Monocoque FIGURE3 Monocoque Joining Flanges Joining Flange fixed onto Rear Monocoque Joining Flange fixed onto Front Monocoque A Joining Flange B Joining Flange C Rear Monocoque 0 Front Monocoque E Holes for Main Tubular Longerons FIGURE 4 View of Rear Suspension at back end of Vehicle A Back End Suspension Support Bracket B Central Suspension Support Bracket C Lower Main Structural Longeron D Upper Support Tube (part of external Tubular Skeleton) E Central Support Tube (Tubular Skeleton) F Upper Leaf Spring G Mounting Pin for Double Spring Shackle H Mounting Pin Upper Single Shackle J Mounting Pin Lower Single Shackle K Leaf Spring and Motor Carrier L Steel Ring Bump Stop M Electro-magnetic suspension Dampers P Radius Rod Q Sliding Link R Swivel Link FIGURE 5 Leaf Spring Mounting into Leaf Spring and Motor Carrier A Leaf Spring B Leaf Spring Dowel or Locating Pin C Leaf Spring Mounting Block D Tapped Holes for Mounting Bolts E Leaf Spring and Motor Carrier F U Bolt to hold Leaf Spring onto Mounting Block G Leaf Spring Mounting Slot in Leaf Spring and Motor Carrier H Tapered Locking Blocks FIGURE 6 Detail of the Mounting of the Rear Leaf Springs A Suspension Support Brackets B Leaf Spring and Motor Carrier C Mounting Pins for Spring Eyes (Front) and Shackles D Spring Shackles including Double Shackles for rear eyes of Rear Springs E Lower Leaf Springs F Upper Leaf Springs G Electro-magrietic Dampers H Steel Bump Stop Rings FIGURE 7 Sectional View of Electric Drive Motor, and the Diaphragm Spring Clutch and Diaphragm Spring Brake assembled onto the Drive Motor Shaft Extension located inside Motor Shaft Mounting Tube.

I Drive Motor Stator 2 Drive Motor Shaft 3 Cover Diaphragm Spring Clutch 4 Lower Leaf Spring Clutch Release Bearing 6 Cover Diaphragm Spring Clutch 7 Brake Engagement Bearing 8 Splined Shaft Extension 9 Brake Mounting Ring FIGURE 8 Sectional View of Turret A Turret Lid B Lid Hinge FIGURE 8 continued C Lid Seal D Armoured Inner Turret Tube E Lower Seal F Outer Turret Tube G Inner Collar H Outer Turret Tube Cap J Clamping Bolts -Outer Turret Tube and Cap K Sealing Ring L Inner Steel Monocoque M Glass and Spun Concrete Armour Layers N Outer Steel Monocoque 0 Ceramic Armour Layer P High Tensile Reflective Bandage Wrap Q Weld R Detail of Ball Bearings and Races FIGURE 9 Detail of Anti-RPG Candle Tubes A Standard Tube B Hinge Tube C Steel Binding Tape Figure 10 Section through Armour Layers A High Tensile Reinforced and Reflective Bandage Wrap B Ceramic C Outer Steel Monocoque D Polymer Reinforced Spun Concrete E Glass Hoops F Inner Steel Monocoque