Numerical Investigations on Blast Protection System with Metallic Tube Core Sandwich Panels

Abstract: – Effect of blast loads from explosion can be mitigated by using thick armor systems that are often heavy and significantly increase the self-weight of the structure. In the design of structure for blast protection, sacrificial claddings which consist of high energy absorbing elements are used. A sandwich type protective structure consists of light weight core which is often used for blast mitigation. The choice of core type has an influence on the performance of sandwich panel. The cores can be of wood, foam material and tubular elements. In this study, behavior of sandwich panel with square tubular core is investigated through numerical studies. Panel is made of mild steel having top plate dimension of 150 mm x 150 mm x 2.5 mm; bottom plate of 150 mm x 150 mm x 5 mm and square tube core of 12.5 mm x 12.5 mm with 0.6 mm thickness. A finite element model is developed and validated using experimental results in literature. Parametric studies are carried out using the validated finite element model. By varying the tube length of the core, the responses of the panels in terms of energy absorption and reaction forces are compared.

KEYWORDS: – Blast loading, Reaction forces, Tube core sandwich panel, Energy absorption.

INTRODUCTION he analysis and design of structures subjected to blast loads require understanding of blast phenomena and dynamic response of structural elements [1]. For blast resistant structures efficient energy absorbing material/structural configuration is preferred Sandwich panel with honey comb, square, folded plate, pyramidal, corrugated and diamond cores are commonly used as energy absorbers. Sacrificial cladding layers are used for blast mitigation [2]. They have investigated both experimental and analytically the sacrificial layered structure with mild steel web plates. The cladding structures are mainly designed in such a way that the forces transferred are controlled to an extent in the protective structure. Core height and face plate thickness influences the response of honeycomb sandwich panel [3].
Read More