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The most significant commitment by
APV in developing its own specially-protected vehicle product
has been the investment in time, energy and human and financial
resources employed in the research and build development
of its prototype. |
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| This 30-month investigation was driven
by self-imposed design and quality targets and by industry-set
protection levels. The first priority was ultimate protection.
To this end it is important to view this protection as a 'special
box' inside the vehicle, within which the occupants travel.
The more complete, integrated and encapsulating the box, the
better the protection for the occupants. The designs of all
the components of this 'box', both the individual steel plates
and the pre-formed glass laminations, were researched and
tested, not only individually, but also in combination with
adjacent components, to maximize on the protection. These
individual designs took account of ballistic trajectories,
overlaps, distances between plates, changes of trajectories,
position in the vehicle and , etc. Our own ideas of ballistic
integrity were further enhanced with commissioned reports
by WTB International, of McLean, Virginia, that highlighted
less obvious threats to this integrity. |
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| It was also important to sensibly integrate
these design concepts, as much as possible, into the original
body-shell and interior layout, so that weight additions are
taken up by stress-bearing components and the overall aesthetics
changed as little as possible. |
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| This exercise left us very clear as to
which design elements were essential in the composition of
our production vehicle. |
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