FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to protective shelters against ballistic projectiles. More specifically, the present invention relates to lightweight protective shelters constructed from modular, easily transportable, panels thai are easy to assemble, and relatively inexpensive,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Ground shelters for protecting people and/or facilities in a war zone generally require protective armor to mitigate damage that can be caused by impacts and blasts from various ballistic projectiles and mortars. Historically, bunkers have been protected against mortar threats by constructing roofing using a combination of logs and dirt, and later by timbers supporting one or more layers of sandbags. Recently, building units of massive concrete and thick panels of high-strength steel have been used for these purposes. These prior arts have relied upon heavy, or expensive materials. Yet, more recently, shelters of lightweight which are relatively inexpensive and which are suitable for protecting against mortar impacts and consequent mortar blasts have been designed, Some of these shelters are described as follows:

US Patent No, 3820294 describes a modular construction system for rapid assembly and disassembly of shelters and barriers which provide protection from natural or man-made environments, The shelters are constructed from panels having slots and grooves which permit quickly erecting a wide variety of covered structures to protect occupants and equipment.

US Patent No. 7806038 describes building blocks that can be assembled into structures without requiring special end or comer pieces. The blocks have top and bottom surfaces that contain cooperating projection and slot for stacking the blocks. US Patent No, 7784232 describes a lightweight ballistic shelter of modular panels that are mutually connectable. Each panel of the shelter structure is connectable to any other panel of the shelter system thus allowing protective structures of different sizes and shapes to be assembled.

US 7661228 describes armored building modules and panels,, such as for walls and roofs, that provide armored shelter for protecting people and equipment from ballistic projectiles and mortar attacks, Each panel is made from multiple co- parallel panels arranged in a stack, spaced apart, and held together along their sides by side elements.

The present invention relates to armored mobile steel shelters constructed from steel panels which are easily assembled and disassembled for relocation and which does not require special infrastructure or equipment, The armored mobile shelter is designed to withstand direct hits by 122 mm artillery rockets and mortar shells and is suitable for public areas, educational institutes, military bases, exposed unprotected working places, commercial spaces and private homes.

An aim of the present invention is to provide a protective shelter of lightweight that is modular, easily transportable, easy to assemble, and relatively inexpensive. A shelter that is resistant to direct hits of artillery rockets and mortar shells from various angles,

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a lightweight armored mobile shelter made of metal panels connected in a distinct way that make the shelter resistant to direct hits of artillery rockets and mortar shells from various angles. The shelter weighs about 1 1.5 tons, much less than a 60 ton concrete shelter, Moreover, the shelter of the present invention can easily be relocated. In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a high strength protective shelter of modular panels, comprising;

a front panel, a rear panel,, and two side panels, each of said panels has a top edge a bottom edge and two side edges and generally a planar surface,

the side edges of the panels have a plurality of spaced apart teeth with slots between the teeth,

so that the teeth of one panel can be inserted into the slots of another adjacent panel in a box or dovetail joint

said teeth are longer than the thickness of the panels, the front panel and the rear panel are joined to the side panels by inserting the teeth of one edge of a panel into the slot of an

adjacent panel to form an enclosure, with the teeth protruding beyond the surface of the adjacent panels creating corners, said corners being reinforced therby providing a structure resistant to direct hits of artillery rockets and mortar shells from various angles.

Furthermore, in accordance with the present invention, the top and/or bottom edges of the panels have a plurality of spaced apart teeth with slots between the teeth,

Furthermore _s in accordance with the present invention, the shelter further comprising a bottom panel and a roof panel attached to the structure,

Furthermore, in accordance with the present invention, the edges of the bottom panel and/or roof panel have a plurality of spaced apart teeth with slots between the teeth.

Furthermore, in accordance with the present invention, the corners are welded. Furthermore, in accordance with the present invention, the corners are filled with filler material.

Furthermore, in accordance with the present invention, the panels are made of commercial steel. Furthermore, in accordance with the present invention, the panels are made of ST52.

Furthermore, in accordance with the present invention, the thickness of the panels ranges between 25mm to 35mm.

Furthermore, in accordance with the present invention, the thickness of the panels ranges between 32mm to 34mm,

Furthermore;, in accordance with the present invention, the number of teeth on the panel edges lies between 10 and 20 teeth per 2.5 meters.

Furthermore, in accordance with the present invention, the side edges of panels that are to be joined to one another, have their teeth and slots in alternate positions for maintaining the top and bottom edges of the panels aligned.

Furthermore, in accordance with the present invention, the roof panel comprises hoisting means for lifting, transporting and/or relocating said shelter.

Furthermore, in accordance with the present invention, the hoisting means are positioned near the comers of the roof panel,

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig, 1 is a perspective view of a high strength protective shelter constructed of interlocking panels in accordance with the present invention;

Figs, 2 to 4 are perspective views of a side panel, front panel, and rear panel of the shelter of Fig, I;

Fig, 5 is a perspective view of hoisting means for lifting the shelter of Fig, 1; Fig, 6 is a biow-up top view presentation of a corner of two interlocking panels forming a right angle; and

Fig, 7 is a top perspective view of two panel interlocked at right angles.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to Fig, 1, there is shown a high strength protective shelter 10 constructed of interlocking steel panels in accordance with this invention, The shelter is comprised of a front panel 12, a rear panel 14, and two side panels 16 and 18, a bottom plate 19 and a roof 20 cover the panels. Hoisting means such as hoisting rings 22 (Fig. 5) are welded to the roof 20 recessed from the comers, These panels can be of any commercial steel such as ST52 and can range in thickness from 25 mm to 35 mm in thickness and preferably between 32mm -34 nun thick.

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 illustrate in detail the individual panels 1 or 18, 12, and 14. Ail of these panels have a plurality of spaced apart teeth 24 along their side edges with slots 26 between the teeth to accommodate the teeth 24 so that teeth 24 can fit into the slots 26 at right angles in a box or dovetail joint 28 (Fig. 1), In order for the panels to be the same height when connected the teeth 24 and slots 26 alternate differently on one side from the other side. Alternatively, opposite panels have their teeth 24 and slots 26 in alternate positions, so that the top teeth 24 of one panel, for example panel 12, fit into the space at the top of adjacent pane 16.

In a preferred embodiment, the teeth 24 are longer than the thickness of the panels and the slots 26 may be deeper than the thickness of the panels so that when the teeth 24 are inserted into the slots 26 they protrude beyond the outer surface of the panel (32 in Fig,6, and 34, 36 in Fig. 7).

The optimal number of teeth, in accordance with the present invention, lies between 10 and 20 teeth per 2.5 meters.

To reinforce the corners of the connected panels 12-16, 16-14, 14- 18 and 18-12, the inner corners 52, 54 and 56 of these panels are welded (Figs, 5 and 6). Filler material may be added to form a smooth weld surface in the joint,

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of hoisting means 70 for lifting the shelter of Fig. 1. The hoisting means 70 are connected near the comers of the roof panel 20 of the shelter 10 as in Fig. I, so that the entire shelter 10 can be lifted, transported and relocated as is. Alternatively, the welding may be removed, and the panels disassembled and relocated. The extending teeth and welding of the joints with further addition of filler material to smoother the inner corner the joints, creates a comer structure that is resistant to direct hits from artillery rockets and mortar shells coming from various angles. This way, the panels themselves will be resistant against direct hits from angles of 90°, and the three joints will be resistant against hits from various angles smaller or greater than 90°,