posted
The Defiant had ablative armor, I think the only difference was that the armor was integrated into the hull, while Voy's seems to deploy like the Batmobile's armor.
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posted
I'm sure that the Borg weren't firing "through" the armor, but rather the armor was dissipating under the fire. Voyager's shaking was because some of the energy or possibly part of the weapon beam itself were making it through -- AFTER the armor in a certain area had failed.
posted
The armor was probably a combination of enhanced hull materials and the SI used underneath the ship.
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Registered: Jul 2000
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crobato
Ex-Member
posted
You can check the meaning of ablative in the dictionary.
In the game Homeworld, the manual speaks of using an ablative effect or ablative layer in the armor of the hull in their ships.
It's really an ingenious low tech device, similar in principle to the reactive armor used in modern day tanks, and one that is easy to understand.
When a beam or kinetic weapons hits an ablative layer, the layer vaporizes instantly, not only absorbing the energy, but the vapors actually force the projectile outward of the secondary armor beneath. If it is a beam weapon, the vapors interferes with the beam or blocks it. This is what you call an ablative effect.
posted
Perhaps this sort of armor is replicated into place?
Janeway's shuttle had an emitter (Karath referred to a singular emitter that seemed pretty large for a shuttle). The emitter was able to replicate a layer of ablative armor around the shuttle. As the armor took damage, more could be replicated in the damaged area. Thus, you'd have regenerative ablative armor. Of course, this would be a massive power drain, but Janeway's shuttle was capable of Warp 6.
Now one Voyager, these armor emitter strips were installed all about the outer hull. Voyager would need more emitters since it is a lot larger than a shuttle. The armor was replicated into place and functioned the same as on the shuttle.
Also of note is the rapid degradation of the armor layer towards the end. This could be because of the huge power drain on the armor system (Voyager not really designed for it plus an enemy more powerful than Klingons). It could also be due to the emitters between the armor layer and the outer hull. The shuttle's emitter was inside the shuttle in the ceiling cavity and protected from shock and damage by the armor layer and the outer hull.
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posted
Replication sounds like the best way to go.
Registered: Mar 1999
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crobato
Ex-Member
posted
Same one.
Ablative armor does not really regenerate. It vaporizes away gradually, and the vapors form a layer that interferes and dissipates any beam weapon. Ablative armor generally requires replacement.
If the armor is getting regenerated, then there must replicators to continually regenerate the armor. It sounds crazy but when you realize this, we do this all the time in games (regenerate armor). For me it really does not make so much sense since it's just better to regenerate shields instead.
posted
I'm wondering if it's some kind of "energy armor", you know, half-energy, half armor.
Hey, holodecks are energy, but they can produce matter like-qualities.
Sometimes matter exhibits energy like characteristics, and sometimes energy exhibits matter-like characteristics.
I know it's a bit far-fetched, but it did seem to go on like it was a force-field. And it would comply with the "singular-emitter" comment. After all, an emitter usually emits energy.
posted
Yeah, replicated armor sounds logical to me. However what bothers me now is that Voyager when she blasted out of that Borg Sphere, she still had that armor on which means that when she docks at a Starfleet base her armor can be analyzed and duplicated on another ship. This would give Starfleet a HUGE tatcical advantage over everyone. If the Borg had trouble penetrating it and adapted to it later that means the less technically advanced races like the Romulans and the Klingons would take years to figure out a way to penetrate it.
By the way, how would the Borg adapt to physical armor like that unless it involved energy in some way to destabilize it?
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posted
Adapting to armor doesn't imply that they can simply shoot through it, like the shields. You "adapt" to armor by switching to a weapon that defeats it. Armor-piercing rounds or shaped charges, for real world examples.
Registered: Mar 1999
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