Underwater blast loading of sandwich beams: Regimes of behaviour

Finite element (FE) calculations are used to develop a comprehensive understanding of the dynamic response of sandwich beams subjected to underwater blast loading, including the effects of fluid–structure interaction. Design maps are constructed to show the regimes of behaviour over a broad range of loading intensity, sandwich panel geometry and material strength. Over the entire range of parameters investigated, the time-scale associated with the initial fluid–structure interaction phase up to the instant of first cavitation in the fluid is much smaller than the time-scales associated with the core compression and the bending/stretching responses of the sandwich beam. Consequently, this initial fluid–structure interaction phase decouples from the subsequent phases of response. Four regimes of behaviour exist: the period of sandwich core compression either couples or decouples with the period of the beam bending, and the core either densifies partially or fully. These regimes of behaviour are charted on maps using axes of blast impulse and core strength. The simulations indicate that continued loading by the fluid during the core compression phase and the beam bending/stretching phase cannot be neglected. Consequently, analyses that neglect full fluid–structure interaction during the structural responses provide only estimates of performance metrics such as back face deflection and reaction forces at the supports. The calculations here also indicate that appropriately designed sandwich beams undergo significantly smaller back face deflections and exert smaller support forces than monolithic beams of equal mass. The optimum transverse core strength is determined for minimizing the back face deflection or support reactions at a given blast impulse. Typically, the transverse core strength that minimizes back face deflection is 40% below the value that minimizes the support reaction. Moreover, the optimal core strength depends upon the level of blast impulse, with higher strength cores required for higher intensity blasts.     

Finite element analysis of the dynamic response of clamped sandwich beams subject to shock loading

The finite element (FE) method is employed to analyse the response of clamped sandwich beams subject to shock loadings. Pressure versus time histories representative of shock loadings are applied uniformly to the outer face of the sandwich beam; an impulse applied uniformly to the outer face of the sandwich beam is shown to model adequately shock loadings. Material elasticity and strain hardening representative of structural steels have only a minor effect upon the beam response. Further, the magnitude of the compressive strength of the core has only a limited influence upon the dynamic response of the sandwich beam for the representative range of core strengths considered. The FE results for the deflections and structural response time agree well with the rigid ideally-plastic analytical predictions of Fleck and Deshpande (J. Appl. Mech. (2003), in press).     

Impulsive loading of clamped monolithic and sandwich beams over a central patch

An analytical model is developed for the response of clamped monolithic and sandwich beams subjected to impulse loading over a central loading patch. A number of topologies of sandwich core are investigated, including the honeycomb core, pyramidal core, prismatic diamond core and metal foam. The various cores are characterised by their dependencies of through-thickness compressive strength and longitudinal tensile strength upon relative density. Closed-form expressions are derived for the deflection of the beam when the ratio r of length of loading patch to the beam span exceeds 0.5. In contrast, an ordinary differential equation needs to be solved numerically for the choice r<0.5. Explicit finite element calculations show that most practical shock loadings can be treated as impulsive and the accuracy of the impulsive analytical predictions is confirmed. The analytical formulae are employed to determine optimal geometries of the sandwich beams that maximise the shock resistance of the beams for a given mass. The optimisation reveals that sandwich beams have a superior shock resistance relative to monolithic beams of the same mass, with the prismatic diamond core sandwich beam providing the best performance. Further, the optimal sandwich beam designs are only mildly sensitive to the length of the loading patch.     

爆炸载荷作用下具有可折叠芯层夹芯梁的动态响应

基于目前研究最广泛的刚性折纸(Tachi-origami)样式,通过改变其初始折叠角度构建出4种不同的蜂窝胞元,并且通过排列分布将其组成夹芯梁。采用商用有限元软件Abaqus/explicit对准静态和爆炸载荷作用下可折叠芯层夹芯梁的力学响应进行研究,分析可折叠芯层的泊松比变化规律、夹芯梁背板挠度以及能量吸收机理;并将夹芯梁与等质量的实体梁进行对比。采用后面板最大挠度作为抗爆性能的评价,结果发现:可折叠芯层在准静态载荷下具有一定的负泊松比效应;夹芯梁的抗爆性能优于实体梁,曲边蜂窝的初始折角对其作为芯层夹芯梁的抗爆性能有较大影响,随着初始折角的逐渐增大,其抗爆性能逐渐下降;当初始折角为直角时对应于方孔直边蜂窝,其抗爆性能最差。     

A lattice deformation based model of metallic lattice sandwich plates subjected to impulsive loading

A lattice structure deformation mechanism based theoretical model is developed to predict the dynamic response of square lattice sandwich plates under impulsive loading. The analytical model is established on the basis of the three-stage framework proposed by Fleck and Deshpande (2004). In the first stage, the impulse transmitted from air shock loading to the sandwich plates by fluid-structure interaction is analytically calculated. The lattice core suffers non-uniform compression in the second stage due to the clamped boundary conditions. The structure deformation mechanism is introduced in the lattice core compression and the analytical nominal stress–strain curve of core compression accords well with previous experimental results. In the final stage, the sandwich plate is analyzed as a continuum plate with non-uniform thickness deduced by inconsistent deformation of the front and back sheets.The experiment results of square metallic sandwich plates with tetrahedral lattice core are presented and compared with analytical prediction to validate the theoretical model. Good agreements are found between the predicted and testing results for both the impulse transmitted to the sandwich plates and the maximum deflection of the back face sheet.     

撞击载荷下泡沫铝夹芯梁的塑性动力响应

应用泡沫金属子弹撞击加载的方式研究了固支泡沫铝夹芯梁和等质量实体梁的塑性动力响应。 采用激光测速装置和位移传感器测量了泡沫子弹的撞击速度和后面板中心点的位移-时间曲线,研究了加载 冲量、面板厚度和芯层厚度对夹芯梁抗冲击性能的影响。给出了泡沫铝夹芯梁的变形与失效模式,实验结果 表明结构响应对夹芯结构配置比较敏感,后面板中心点的残余变形与加载冲量、面板厚度呈线性关系。与等 质量实体梁的比较表明,泡沫铝夹芯梁具有更好的抗冲击能力。实验结果对多孔金属夹芯结构的优化设计具 有一定的参考价值。     

The dynamic response of composite sandwich beams to transverse impact

The dynamic response of glass fibre–vinylester composite beams is measured by impacting the beams at mid-span with metal foam projectiles. The beams exist in composite monolithic form, and in sandwich configuration with composite face-sheets and a core made from PVC foam or end-grain balsa wood. High-speed photography is used to measure the transient transverse deflection of the beams and to record the dynamic modes of deformation and failure. For both monolithic and sandwich configurations, a flexural wave travels from the impact site towards the supports. Ultimate failure of the monolithic and sandwich beams is by tensile tearing of the faces. The sandwich beams also exhibit cracking of the core, and face-sheet delamination. The dynamic strength of the beams is quantified by the maximum transient transverse deflection at mid-span of the beams as a function of projectile momentum. It is demonstrated that sandwich beams can outperform monolithic beams of equal mass. The trade-off between core strength and core thickness is such that a low density PVC foam core outperforms a higher density PVC foam core. End-grain balsa wood has a superior stiffness and strength to that of PVC foam in compression and in shear. Consequently, sandwich beams with a balsa core outperform beams with a PVC foam core for projectiles of low momentum. The order reverses at high values of projectile momentum: the sandwich beams with a balsa wood core fail prematurely in longitudinal shear by splitting along the grain.     

Uniaxial crushing of sandwich plates under air blast: Influence of mass distribution

Motivated by recent efforts to mitigate blast loading using energy-absorbing materials, this paper uses analytical and computational modeling to investigate the influence of mass distribution on the uniaxial crushing of cellular sandwich plates under air blast loading. In the analytical model, the cellular core is represented using a rigid, perfectly-plastic, locking idealization, as in previous studies, and the front and back faces are modeled as rigid, with pressure loading applied to the front face and the back-face unrestrained. This model is also applicable to the crushing of cellular media in “blast pendulum” experiments. Fluid–structure interaction effects are treated using a recent result that accounts for nonlinear compressibility effects for intense air blasts. Predictions of the analytical model show excellent agreement with explicit finite element computations, and the model is used to investigate the response of the system for all possible distributions of mass between the front and back faces and the cellular core. Increasing the mass fraction in the front face is found to increase the impulse required for complete crushing of the cellular core but also to produce undesirable increases in back-face accelerations. Optimal mass distributions for mitigating shock transmission through the sandwich plate are investigated by maximizing the impulse capacity while limiting the back-face accelerations to a specified level.     

One-dimensional response of sandwich plates to underwater shock loading

The one-dimensional shock response of sandwich plates is investigated for the case of identical face sheets separated by a compressible foam core. The dynamic response of the sandwich plates is analysed for front face impulsive loading, and the effect of strain hardening of the core material is determined. For realistic ratios of core mass to face sheet mass, it is found that the strain hardening capacity of the core has a negligible effect upon the average through-thickness compressive strain developed within the core. Consequently, it suffices to model the core as an ideally plastic-locking solid. The one-dimensional response of sandwich plates subjected to an underwater pressure pulse is investigated by both a lumped parameter model and a finite element (FE) model. Unlike the monolithic plate case, cavitation does not occur at the fluid-structure interface, and the sandwich plates remain loaded by fluid until the end of the core compression phase. The momentum transmitted to the sandwich plate increases with increasing core strength, suggesting that weak sandwich cores may enhance the underwater shock resistance of sandwich plates.     

Blast Performance of Sandwich Composites with In-Plane Compressive Loading

An experimental investigation was conducted to evaluate the dynamic performance of E-glass Vinyl Ester composite face sheet / foam core sandwich panels when subjected to pre-compression and subsequent blast loading. The sandwich panels were subjected to 0 kN, 15 kN and 25 kN of in plane compression respectively, prior to transverse blast wave loading with peak incident pressure of 1 MPa and velocity of 3 Mach. The blast loading was generated using a shock tube facility. During the experiments, a high-speed photographic system utilizing three digital cameras was used to acquire the real-time 3-D deformation of the sandwich panels. The 3D Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique was used to quantify the back face out-of-plane deflection and in-plane strain. The results showed that in-plane compressive loading facilitated buckling and failure in the front face sheet. This mechanism greatly reduced the blast resistance of sandwich composites.     

撞击载荷下泡沫铝夹层板的动力响应

应用泡沫金属子弹撞击加载的方式研究了固支方形夹层板和等质量实体板的动力响应,分别应用激光测速装置和位移传感器测量了泡沫子弹的撞击速度和后面板中心点的位移历史,给出了夹层板的变形与失效模式,研究了子弹冲量、面板厚度、泡沫芯层厚度及芯层密度对夹层板抗撞击性能的影响。结果表明,后面板中心点挠度最大,周边最小,整体变形为穹形,且伴有花瓣形的变形。参数研究表明,通过增加面板厚度或芯层厚度均能有效控制后面板的挠度,改善夹层板的能量吸收能力,结构响应对子弹冲量和芯层密度比较敏感。实验结果对多孔金属夹层结构的优化设计具有一定的参考价值。 更多还原     

PVC夹芯板在冲击载荷下的动态响应与失效模式

通过开展对泡沫金属子弹撞击加载聚氯乙烯(polyvinyl chloride, PVC)夹芯板的实验,结合三维数字图像相关性(three dimensional digital image correlation, DIC-3D)技术,研究固支夹芯板在撞击加载条件下的动态响应,获得夹芯板受撞击及响应的变形过程,并结合图像分别分析夹芯板整体及三层结构的变形和失效模式;研究子弹冲量与背板最终变形之间的关系和相似冲量下等面密度不同芯层密度的夹芯结构的抗撞击性能。结果表明:夹芯板的破坏和失效主要集中在泡沫金属子弹直接作用区域,背板挠度由中间向固定端逐渐减小,子弹冲量与背板变形近似成线性关系。在等质量的条件下,降低芯层密度、增加芯层厚度可以有效降低背板的变形,实验结果对聚合物夹芯结构的工程优化设计具有一定的参考意义。     

爆炸载荷下双向梯度仿生夹芯圆板的力学行为

基于王莲仿生面内梯度芯层,通过引入面外梯度,设计了一种双向梯度仿生夹芯圆板。在此基础上,运用ABAQUS有限元软件,对不同排列方式的双向梯度夹芯圆板在不同爆炸载荷作用下的响应进行了数值仿真,着重分析了不同仿生夹芯圆板的前后面板挠度、芯层压缩量、变形模式和能量吸收等特性,得到了一种抗爆性能较好的芯层排列方式。结果表明:相较于单一的面外梯度夹芯圆板,合理设计的双向梯度仿生夹芯圆板可以有效降低后面板挠度,并提高芯层的能量吸收。     

Elastic structural response of prismatic metal sandwich tubes to internal moving pressure loading

The analytical and numerical modeling of the structural response of a prismatic metal sandwich tube subjected to internal moving pressure loading is investigated in this paper. The prismatic core is equivalent to homogeneous and cylindrical orthotropic solids via homogenization procedure. The sandwich tube with the “effective” homogenized core is modeled using multi-layer sandwich theory considering the effects of transverse shear deformation and compressibility of the core; moreover, the solutions are obtained by using the precise integration method. Several dynamic elastic finite element (FE) simulations are carried out to obtain the structural response of the tube to shock loading moving at different velocities. The comparison between analytic solutions and FE simulations demonstrates that the transient analytical model, based on the proposed sandwich model, is capable of predicting the critical velocity and the dynamic structural response of the sandwich tube with the “effective” homogenized core with a high degree of accuracy. In addition, the critical velocity predicted using FE simulations of the complete model is not in agreement with that of the effective model. However, the structural response and the maximum amplification factors obtained using FE simulations of the complete model are nearly similar to that of the effective model, when the shock loading moves at the critical velocity. The influences of the relative density on the structural response are studied, and the capabilities of load bearing for sandwich tubes with different cores are compared with each other and with the monolithic tube. The results indicate that Kagome and triangle-6 are preferred among five topologies.     

FREE VIBRATION ANALYSIS OF LATTICE SANDWICH BEAMS UNDER SEVERAL TYPICAL BOUNDARY CONDITIONS

Free vibration problems of lattice sandwich beams under several typical boundary conditions are investigated in the present paper. The lattice sandwich beam is transformed to an equivalent homogeneous three-layered sandwich beam. Unlike the traditional analytical model in which the rotation angles of the face sheets and the core are assumed the same, different rotation angles are considered in this paper to characterize the real response of sandwich beams. The analytical solutions of the natural frequencies for several typical boundary conditions are obtained. The effects of material properties and geometric parameters on the natural frequencies are also investigated.     

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Free Vibrations of Composite Sandwich Beams with Curvature and Debonds

In this paper experimental and numerical results concerning the dynamic response of composite sandwich beams with curvature and debonds are reported. Sandwich beams made of carbon/epoxy face sheets and polyurethane foam core material were manufactured with four different radii of curvature and debonds between the top and bottom interface of face sheet and foam core. Dynamic response was obtained using the impulse frequency response technique under clamped-clamped boundary condition. Experimental results were compared with numerical finite element model results. A combined experimental and numerical FE approach was used to determine the material properties of the skin and foam core materials based on modal vibration and static flexure tests. Results indicate that the fundamental frequency increases with increasing curvature angle, however, for higher frequencies; the natural frequencies are not significantly affected. Also, it is found that face/core debond causes reduction of the natural frequencies due to stiffness degradation.     

Effect of Facesheet Thickness on Dynamic Response of Composite Sandwich Plates to Underwater Impulsive Loading

The response of sandwich structures to underwater blast loading is analyzed. The analysis focuses on the effect of varying structural attributes on energy dissipation and deformation. The structures analyzed are planar sandwich plates with polymer foam cores and fiber-reinforced polymer composite facesheets. The thickness of the facesheets is varied under the conditions of constant material properties and core dimensions. The fully three-dimensional finite-element simulations carried out account for underwater blast loading through the use of the Mie-Gruneisen equation-of-state of a linear Hugoniot form and a modified Drucker-Prager core crushing model. The impulse imparted to the panels is varied from 4 to 42 kPa·s. The results show that there exists an optimal thickness of the facesheets which maximizes energy absorption in the core and minimizes the overall deflection of the structure.     

Influence of imperfections on the performance of metal foam core sandwich panels

Sandwich panels and beams are used in bending and compression dominated components. The retention of their load capacity in the presence of imperfections is a central consideration. To address this issue, sandwich beams with metallic foam cores have been tested in four-point bending following the introduction of imperfections, created by impressing the face sheets. Limit load expressions for face yielding, core shear, and indentation failure have been developed and used to construct failure mechanism maps. From these maps, specimen designs were determined. Imperfections were introduced by indenting to varying penetrations. The indents were located on both the compressive and tensile side of bending configurations. Experimental measurements of the load/deflection response are obtained and compared with finite element results.     

孔结构金属复合夹芯板抗爆炸冲击响应及吸能特性研究

采用有限元方法研究爆炸载荷下四边固支孔结构金属复合夹芯板的动力响应及吸能特性，给出了孔结构金属复合夹芯板的动力响应过程，得到夹芯板的变形模式，比较了孔结构金属复合夹芯板与非孔结构金属复合夹芯板的抗爆炸冲击性能，同时讨论了孔大小、间距、排布方式和面板质量分布等因素对孔结构金属复合夹芯板抗爆炸冲击性能的影响。研究结果表明，迎爆面外面板的孔设计使爆炸冲击波穿过孔洞直接作用在芯材上，增强了芯材的压缩，从而提高了夹芯板的能量吸收能力。同等面密度情况下，内外面板厚度比大于1的孔结构金属复合夹芯板变形挠度小于内外面板厚度比小于1的孔结构金属复合夹芯板。进一步研究发现，通过合理设计内外面板的质量分布，可以使孔结构金属复合夹芯板的抗爆炸冲击性能最优。     

Novel stacked folded cores for blast-resistant sandwich beams

Recent research has established the effectiveness of sandwich structures with metallic cellular cores for blast mitigation. The choice of core architecture can enhance sandwich performance, dissipating energy through plastic core compression and exploiting fluid–structure interaction effects to reduce the momentum imparted to the structure by the blast. In this paper we describe the first analysis of a novel sandwich core concept for blast mitigation: the stacked folded core. The core consists of an alternating stacked sequence of folded sheets in the Miura (double-corrugated) pattern, with the stack oriented such that the folding kinematics define the out-of plane compressive strength of the core. It offers a number of distinct characteristics compared to existing cellular cores. (i) The kinematics of collapse of the core by a distinctive folding mechanism give it unique mechanical properties, including strong anisotropy. (ii) The fold pattern and stacking arrangement is extremely versatile, offering exceptional freedom to tailor the mechanical properties of the core. This includes freedom to grade the core properties through progressive changes in the fold pattern. (iii) Continuous manufacturing processes have been established for the Miura folded sheets which make up the core. The design is therefore potentially more straightforward and economical to manufacture than other metallic cellular materials. In this first investigation of the stacked folded core, finite element analysis is used to investigate its characteristics under both quasi-static and dynamic loading. A dynamic analysis of an impulsively loaded sandwich beam with a stacked folded core reveals the versatility of the concept for blast mitigation. By altering the fold pattern alone, the durations of key phases of the dynamic sandwich response (core compression, beam bending) can be controlled. By altering both fold pattern and sheet thickness in the core, the same is achieved without altering the density of the core or the mass distribution of the sandwich beam.