Sandwich Panel Cores for Blast Applications: Materials and Graded Density

Sandwich composites are of interest in marine applications due to their high strength-to-weight ratio and tailorable mechanical properties, but their resistance to air blast loading is not well understood. Full-scale 100 kg TNT equivalent air blast testing at a 15 m stand-off distance was performed on glass-fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) sandwich panels with polyvinyl chloride (PVC); polymethacrylimid (PMI); and styrene acrylonitrile (SAN) foam cores, all possessing the same thickness and density. Further testing was performed to assess the blast resistance of a sandwich panel containing a stepwise graded density SAN foam core, increasing in density away from the blast facing side. Finally a sandwich panel containing compliant polypropylene (PP) fibres within the GFRP front face-sheet, was subjected to blast loading with the intention of preventing front face-sheet cracking during blast. Measurements of the sandwich panel responses were made using high-speed digital image correlation (DIC), and post-blast damage was assessed by sectioning the sandwich panels and mapping the damage observed. It was concluded that all cores are effective in improving blast tolerance and that the SAN core was the most blast tolerant out of the three foam polymer types, with the DIC results showing a lower deflection measured during blast, and post-blast visual inspections showing less damage suffered. By grading the density of the core it was found that through thickness crack propagation was mitigated, as well as damage in the higher density foam layers, thus resulting in a smoother back face-sheet deflection profile. By incorporating compliant PP fibres into the front face-sheet, cracking was prevented in the GFRP, despite damage being present in the core and the interfaces between the core and face-sheets.     

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.     

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.     

铝合金格栅夹层结构水下抗冲击特性的实验研究

基于非药式水下爆炸冲击波加载技术,对格栅型夹层结构的动态响应及抗冲击防护性能,进行了实验研究。利用高速相机,对夹层板的动态变形情况进行了实时观测,获得了格栅夹层板气背面在水下冲击波作用下的动态响应历程,并结合相同面密度单层板在水下冲击波作用下的抗冲击变形结果,对比分析了铝合金格栅夹层板的抗冲击防护性能,获得了格栅型夹层板的气背面板最大变形量与水下冲击波量纲一冲量间的定量关系。     

Metallic sandwich panels subjected to multiple intense shocks

The mechanical response and fracture of metal sandwich panels subjected to multiple impulsive pressure loads (shocks) were investigated for panels with honeycomb and folded plate core constructions. The structural performance of panels with specific core configurations under multiple impulsive pressure loads is quantified by the maximum transverse deflection of the face sheets and the core crushing strain at mid-span of the panels. A limited set of simulations was carried out to find the optimum core density of a square honeycomb core sandwich panels under two shocks. The panels with a relative core density of 4%–5% are shown to have minimum face sheet deflection for the loading conditions considered here. This was consistent with the findings related to the sandwich panel response subjected to a single intense shock. Comparison of these results showed that optimized sandwich panels outperform solid plates under shock loading. An empirical method for prediction of the deflection and fracture of sandwich panels under two consecutive shocks – based on finding an effective peak over-pressure – was provided. Moreover, a limited number of simulations related to response and fracture of sandwich panels under multiple shocks with different material properties were performed to highlight the role of metal strength and ductility. In this set of simulations, square honeycomb sandwich panels made of four steels representing a relatively wide range of strength, strain hardening and ductility values were studied. For panels clamped at their edge, the observed failure mechanisms are core failure, top face failure and tearing at or close to the clamped edge. Failure diagrams for sandwich panels were constructed which reveal the fracture and failure mechanisms under various shock intensities for panels subjected to up to three consecutive shocks. The results complement previous studies on the behavior and fracture of these panels under high intensity dynamic loading and further highlights the potential of these panels for development of threat-resistant structural systems.     

爆炸载荷下分层梯度泡沫铝夹芯板的失效模式与抗冲击性能

采用弹道冲击摆系统开展了爆炸载荷下分层梯度泡沫铝夹芯板的变形/失效模式和抗冲击性能实验研究，并配合激光位移传感器得到试件后面板中心点的挠度-时程响应曲线。研究了炸药当量和芯层组合方式对夹芯板试件变形/失效模式和抗冲击性能的影响。实验结果表明，泡沫铝夹芯板的变形/失效模式主要表现为面板的非弹性大变形，芯层压缩变形、芯层拉伸断裂以及芯层剪切失效。在研究爆炸冲量范围内，非梯度芯层夹芯板的抗冲击性能明显优越于所有分层梯度芯层夹芯板。对于分层梯度夹芯板试件，爆炸冲量较小时芯层组合形式对分层梯度芯层夹芯板的抗冲击性能的影响不大，而爆炸冲量较大时，最大相对密度芯层靠近前面板组合形式的分层梯度夹芯板试件抗冲击性能较好。研究结果可为泡沫金属夹芯结构的优化设计提供参考。     

Blast Mitigation in a Sandwich Composite Using Graded Core and Polyurea Interlayer

The dynamic behavior of two types of sandwich composites made of E-Glass Vinyl-Ester (EVE) facesheets and Corecell™ A-series foam with a polyurea interlayer was studied using a shock tube apparatus. The materials, as well as the core layer arrangements, were identical, with the only difference arising in the location of the polyurea interlayer. The foam core itself was layered with monotonically increasing wave impedance of the core layers, with the lowest wave impedance facing the shock loading. For configuration 1, the polyurea interlayer was placed behind the front facesheet, in front of the foam core, while in configuration 2 it was placed behind the foam core, in front of the back facesheet. A high-speed side-view camera, along with a high-speed back-view 3-D Digital Image Correlation (DIC) system, was utilized to capture the real time deformation process as well as mechanisms of failure. Post mortem analysis was also carried out to evaluate the overall blast performance of these two configurations. The results indicated that applying polyurea behind the foam core and in front of the back facesheet will reduce the back face deflection, particle velocity, and in-plane strain, thus improving the overall blast performance and maintaining structural integrity.     

冲击波与破片对波纹杂交夹层板的联合毁伤数值研究

通过有限元软件LS-DYNA模拟了波纹杂交夹层板在冲击波与破片联合作用下的响应过程,研究了炸药当量、载荷类型和填充方式对波纹杂交夹层板变形与失效模式的影响,并与实体板、间隔板和波纹夹层板的抗联合毁伤性能进行了对比,讨论了波纹杂交夹层板的能量吸收特性。数值计算结果表明:与冲击波单独作用相比,破片群单独作用和冲击波与破片联合作用对结构造成的毁伤更为严重;当药量较小时,波纹夹层板和波纹杂交夹层板的抗联合毁伤性能优于实体板与间隔板,波纹杂交夹层板的抗联合毁伤性能从全填充、迎爆面填充到背爆面填充逐渐降低;当药量较大时,所有结构均产生破口失效;在能量耗散方面,冲击波单独作用时以波纹芯层吸能为主,破片群单独作用和冲击波与破片联合作用时以上面板吸能为主。     

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.     

Shock initiated instabilities in underwater cylindrical structures

An experimental investigation to understand the mechanisms of dynamic buckling instability in cylindrical structures due to underwater explosive loadings is conducted. In particular, the effects of initial hydrostatic pressure coupled with a dynamic pressure pulse on the stability of metallic cylindrical shells are evaluated. The experiments are conducted at varying initial hydrostatic pressures, below the critical buckling pressure, to estimate the threshold after which dynamic buckling will initiate. The transient underwater full-field deformations of the structures during shock wave loading are captured using high-speed stereo photography coupled with modified 3-D Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique. Experimental results show that increasing initial hydrostatic pressure decreases the natural vibration frequency of the structure indicating loss in structural stiffness. DIC measurements reveal that the initial structural excitations primarily consist of axisymmetric vibrations due to symmetrical shock wave loading in the experiments. Following their decay after a few longitudinal reverberations, the primary mode of vibration evolves which continues throughout later in time. At the initial hydrostatic pressures below the threshold value, these vibrations are stable in nature. The analytical solutions for the vibration frequency and the transient response of cylindrical shell are discussed in the article by accounting for both (1) the added mass effect of the surrounding water and (2) the effect of initial stress on the shell imposed by the hydrostatic pressure. The analytical solutions match reasonably well with the experimental vibration frequencies. Later, the transient response of a cylindrical shell subjected to a general underwater pressure wave loading is derived which leads to the analytical prediction of dynamic stability.     

Imperfection sensitivity of pyramidal core sandwich structures

Lightweight metallic truss structures are currently being investigated for use within sandwich panel construction. These new material systems have demonstrated superior mechanical performance and are able to perform additional functions, such as thermal management and energy amelioration. The subject of this paper is an examination of the mechanical response of these structures. In particular, the retention of their stiffness and load capacity in the presence of imperfections is a central consideration, especially if they are to be used for a wide range of structural applications. To address this issue, sandwich panels with pyramidal truss cores have been tested in compression and shear, following the introduction of imperfections. These imperfections take the form of unbound nodes between the core and face sheets—a potential flaw that can occur during the fabrication process of these sandwich panels. Initial testing of small scale samples in compression provided insight into the influence of the number of unbound nodes but more importantly highlighted the impact of the spatial configuration of these imperfect nodes. Large scale samples, where bulk properties are observed and edge effects minimized, have been tested. The stiffness response has been compared with finite element simulations for a variety of unbound node configurations. Results for fully bound cores have also been compared to existing analytical predictions. Experimentally determined collapse strengths are also reported. Due to the influence of the spatial configuration of unbound nodes, upper and lower limits on stiffness and strength have been determined for compression and shear. Results show that pyramidal core sandwich structures are robust under compressive loading. However, the introduction of these imperfections causes rapid degradation of core shear properties.     

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.     

Dynamic response of anisotropic sandwich flat panels to underwater and in-air explosions

The problem of the dynamic response of flat rectangular sandwich panels subjected to underwater and in-air explosions is analyzed. The study is carried out in the framework of a geometrically non-linear model of sandwich structures featuring anisotropic laminated face sheets and an orthotropic core, in conjunction with the unsteady pressure generated by an explosion. Effects of the core and of the orthotropy of its material, as well as those related to the ply-thickness, directional material property and stacking sequence of face sheets, geometrical non-linearities and of the structural damping ratio are investigated, and their implications upon the dynamic response are highlighted. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the specialized literature addressing the dynamic response of sandwich structures to underwater and in-air explosions is rather scanty. This work is likely to fill a gap in the specialized literature on this topic.     

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.     

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.     

内爆炸载荷下梯度泡沫铝夹芯管的动态响应

基于3D-Voronoi技术构建了泡沫铝芯层的三维细观有限元模型，对梯度泡沫铝夹芯管在内爆炸载荷下的动态响应进行了数值模拟。分析讨论了夹芯管结构内外管的壁厚、泡沫芯层的相对密度、芯层梯度分布等参数对夹芯管结构的抗爆性能与吸能性能的影响，并与无芯层的双层圆管进行了对比。结果表明:泡沫材料的相对密度可通过改变泡沫胞元大小和胞元壁厚进行调控，利用两种方式构建的夹芯管计算结果一致；保持内、外圆管总质量不变，增大内管壁厚可以有效减小外管的塑性变形，但会影响泡沫芯层的能量耗散；泡沫芯层的填充可以有效降低内管的塑性变形，正梯度泡沫铝夹芯管的抗爆性能优于均匀泡沫及负梯度泡沫夹芯管。     

水下冲击波载荷作用下气背固支圆板动态毁伤实验

为了研究水下近爆载荷作用下舰艇水下结构的动态变形及失效毁伤模式,利用水下爆炸冲击波等效加载装置结合高速摄影技术,对两种厚度的气背固支5A06铝合金圆板进行了水下冲击波加载实验。得到了气背固支圆板塑性大变形、中心拉伸撕裂和边界剪切破坏3种典型失效模式的动态响应历程。比较分析了冲击波强度、冲击因子、损伤参数和响应参数4种毁伤判据对该类靶板毁伤模式的判别能力。实验结果表明:考虑了结构因素的损伤参数和响应参数能够更为全面的判别结构的失效毁伤情况。     

The blast resistance of sandwich composites with stepwise graded cores

Shock tube experiments were performed to study the dynamic response of sandwich panels with E-Glass Vinyl Ester (EVE) composite face sheets and stepwise graded styrene foam cores. Two types of core configurations, with identical areal density, were subjected to the shock wave loading. The core layers were arranged according to the density of the respective foam; configuration 1 consisted of low/middle/high density foams and configuration 2 consisted of middle/low/high density foams. The method to calculate the incident and reflected energies of the shock wave, as well as the deformation energy of the specimen, were proposed based on the shock wave pressure profiles and the high speed deflection images that were obtained. The experimental results showed that configuration 1 outperformed configuration 2 in regards to their blast resistance. Significant core material compression was observed in configuration 1, while in configuration 2 the core layers disintegrated and the front skin (blast side) fractured into two pieces along the midsection. The estimated energies were then calculated for both configurations. The total energy difference between the incident and reflected energies was almost identical, even though the deformation energy for configuration 2 was larger.     

THE TRANSVERSE RESPONSE OF SANDWICH PANELS TO AN UNDERWATER SHOCK WAVE

The response of submerged structures to an underwater shock wave involves both structural and fluid behaviour. For sandwich structures the response to an initial shock wave in the transverse direction is significantly different from that of a homogeneous structure. This is due to the elastic properties of the core in the sandwich. For a homogeneous structure one cavitation zone is initially developed and the position of this zone is dependent on the assumed cavitation pressure. At a sandwich structure two cavitation zones initially appear, one adjacent to the structure and another away from the structure, depending again on the assumed cavitation pressure. The response of a sandwich panel in the transverse direction is also investigated, using a combination of a numerical method and finite elements, developed for the fluid–structure interaction problem. The method includes the appearance of cavitation in the fluid, it is found that, as the sandwich section is moving, the faces in the sandwich oscillate about the core. The nonlinear properties of the faces give rise to considerable transverse strain which may very well be high enough to cause delamination in the faces, debonding between the faces and the core, or core failure.     

梯度蜂窝夹芯板在爆炸荷载作用下的动力响应

利用弹道冲击摆锤系统对分层梯度蜂窝夹芯板在爆炸荷载下的动力响应进行了实验研究,分析了梯度蜂窝夹芯板在爆炸荷载作用下的变形失效模式,并与传统非梯度蜂窝夹芯板的抗爆性能做了对比。通过一维应力波理论,分析了应力波在梯度芯层中的传播规律。应力波透射系数在梯度试件中比非梯度芯层中小,而且相对密度递减的芯层组合有最小的应力波透射系数。综合考虑结构变形失效模式,后面板挠度,芯层压缩量以及应力波传播特点得到:分层梯度蜂窝夹芯板的抗爆性能明显优于传统的非梯度夹芯板,在所研究的荷载范围内,芯层相对密度从大到小排列试件的抗爆性能相对较好。