Researchers from the FCH (Faculty of Chemistry) BUT (Brno University of Technology) in cooperation with experts from Bogges have come up with a mobile solution for the protection of critical infrastructure objects. Through successive projects and improvements based on testing, they have developed the Ballistic Protection Panel (BPP), which, compared to the alternative of monolithic concrete walls, is more resistant to firearms and can be installed by human power without the use of heavy handling equipment. Compared to steel armouring, it is significantly cheaper.
Today we are more threatened by hybrid or paramilitary attacks similar to the one behind the explosion of the ammunition depot in Vrbětice than by an armed army armed to the teeth. Attacks can take the form of sabotage or terrorist attacks, often on critical infrastructure. The Czech Republic should have a rapid and mobile response to this new type of threat.
“The existing protection of buildings has mostly meant the installation of concrete road barriers in front of the entrances, or a permanent high-strength reinforced concrete monolith has been created at the building. However, the critical infrastructure of this republic, such as waterworks, gas plants or electricity substations, is not effectively protected against a possible hybrid attack and the subsequent intrusion of attackers,” comments František Šoukal from FCH, who deals with the issue of ballistic protection and is part of the team of experts behind the special concrete innovation.
This was followed by the development of a material for BPP that at first glance resembles conventional concrete but contains a number of specific, albeit commercially available, ingredients. The main binder is a special cement. The binder also includes microsilics, a by-product of the production of a metal silicon on chips, which has a particle size below 1 µm and fills the spaces between the cement. The mixture also contains water and very fine aggregates. The combination of superplasticizers is very important for the final strength of the material, as they generally allow to achieve the lowest possible water content in the mixture while maintaining fluidity. For the right result, the mixture is finally mixed and stored in a special way.
Layering walls offers interesting possibilities: “We have now developed a system to NATO A4 resistance class that protects against the 12.7 mm armour-piercing projectile used, for example, in armoured vehicle machine guns.” František Šoukal describes. The researchers achieved this by placing two walls of BPP behind each other. In addition, the projectile is deflected from its path by an air gap between the walls, which can be filled with ordinary aggregate for greater efficiency.
“Our advantage is that we can make BPP with extremely good parameters even from relatively ordinary aggregates. We don't need high-strength aggregate, which is very expensive, and yet we are getting high strength and ballistic resistance values,” says Šoukal, referring to an important motivation for scientists in developing BPP, which is to optimise costs while maintaining high resistance. Since the other components of the mixture do not come from laboratory research and are commonly available on the market, the researchers managed to reduce the price of BPP to an acceptable level of about CZK 25,000 per m³. The UHPFRC category, to which the BPP material belongs, is priced up to CZK 100,000 per m³. Also, compared to armour-plated rolled steel, BPP is about three times cheaper for the same area weight and ballistic resistance.
The FCH researchers now want to start offering the product commercially together with Bogges. A suitable opportunity is, for example, the International Defence and Security Technologies Fair – IDET in Brno. Potential bidders for BPP could be state units – especially the Czech Army, the Ministry of Interior and operators of critical infrastructure objects. A Czech private company engaged in the construction of civil defence facilities in family houses has also shown interest in the system, which is now in great demand.
“There is a need to protect critical infrastructure, which is why we came up with this innovation. Also in view of the security crisis in Ukraine, the state should be prepared to temporarily increase the protection of its important facilities. If the state wants to use this mobile protection on the basis of the study, then it would be advisable to create a stockpile, because in case of a crisis it will not be possible to produce sufficient quantities of BPP in time.” concludes František Šoukal from the Faculty of Chemistry of the BUT.