Abstract
The need for more effective defence systems is of critical importance because of the rising risk of explosive attacks. Sandwich panels are used as plastically deforming sacrificial structures, absorbing blast wave energy. To the authors’ knowledge, the blast behaviour of sandwich panels with connected (welded/bolted/riveted) corrugated layers has been well covered in literature. Hence, the aim of this numerical study was to develop new, easy-to-build, non-expensive, graded sandwich panel with ‘unconnected’ corrugated layers that can be used as a multipurpose sacrificial protective structure against wide range of blast threats. The proposed sandwich panel is composed of six unconnected aluminium (AL6063-T4) core layers encased in a steel (Weldox 460E) frame with 330 × 330 × 150 mm overall dimensions. The numerical analysis was conducted using Abaqus/Explicit solver. First, the performance of four different nongraded layer topologies (trapezoidal, triangular, sinusoidal, and rectangular) was compared, when subjected to ~16 MPa peak reflected over-pressure (M = 0.5 kg of TNT at R = 0.5 m). Results showed that the trapezoidal topology outperformed other topologies, with uniform progressive collapse, lower reaction force, and higher plastic dissipation energy. Then, the trapezoidal topology was further analysed to design a ‘graded’ sandwich panel that can absorb a wide range of blast intensities (~4, 7, 11, 13, and 16 MPa peak reflected over-pressures) by using a (0.4, 0.8, 1.2 mm) stepwise thickness combination for the layers. In conclusion, the superior performance of the proposed sandwich panel with unconnected graded layers can be considered as a novel alternative to the conventional costly laser-welded sandwich panels. Applications of the new solution range from protecting civil structures to military facilities.
Highlights
Explosions account for about 49% of the overall number of terrorist attacks (182,300 incidents), according to data collected from 1970 to 2017 [1]
The superior performance of the proposed sandwich panel with unconnected. The aim of this numerical study was to develop a unique, easy-to-build, non-expensive, graded layers (Figure 13) can be considered as a novel alternative to the costly connectgraded sandwich panel that can be used as a multipurpose sacrificial protective structure ed/laser-welded corrugated layers
The proposed sandwich panel consist of “unconbe used to protect various blast-vulnerable structures, ranging from multistorey buildnected” aluminium corrugated layers encased in a steel frame
Summary
Explosions account for about 49% (about 88,600) of the overall number of terrorist attacks (182,300 incidents), according to data collected from 1970 to 2017 [1]. Metallic Sinusoidal corrugated core sandwich panels with polymeric foam filling were developed by Yazici, et al [43] Both the experimental and the numerical simulations revealed that foam filling usually improved sandwich panel blast resistivity, with reducing deflections at the rear and frontal faces by >50%. In Bartolozzi, et al [56], a general analytical formulation is proposed to model every core-geometry, overcoming the main limitation of existing analytical formulations (availability of analytical formulations for specific geometrical configurations) Researchers in this field recommend using graded layers (nonuniform thicknesses) that allows energy absorption for different impact/blast loading scenarios [9,45]. The study compares numerically the air blast response (reaction forces, peak deformations, and plastic dissipation energy) of aluminum sandwich panels with four different unconnected layer topologies, namely, trapezoidal, triangular, sinusoidal, and rectangular. The new unconnected/nonwelded configuration proposed here, may simplify the production process and may lead to a more cost-effective sandwich panels
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