Blast effect on layered polyurethane foam

Abstract

The shock wave interaction with solids has been a classical problem of interest for a long time in various domains due to its diverse applications. One such application is energy dissipation using polymeric foam. Since the mechanical compression of polymeric foam exhibits an extended plateau region, it is a primary choice of interest in any form of energy dissipation, particularly blast wave energy. Density-based layered foam has a higher chance of more blast energy absorption compared to a single layer of the same density. Hence, in this study, the response of the blast-induced compression of three different polyurethane (PU) foam densities such as 29.201 kg/m3, 59.692 kg/m3, and 107.720 kg/m3, say D1, D2, and D3, respectively, are carried as single layer and bilayer of the same thickness using a Blast Wave Simulator (BWS). Here, we experimentally record the incident and reflected blast pressure near the blast-hitting face and the reaction force at the rear face of the foam. The full-field displacement of PU foam because of the blast wave is measured using a 2D DIC method. In the bilayer PU foam B2 (D2/D1←, the arrow represents the blast direction), the peak displacement of 10.478 mm, the reaction force, FT of 3.75 kN, reflection coefficient, Cr of 1.99, and energy absorption Eabs of 18.68 J was observed. The increase in energy absorption of the bilayer B3 (D2/D1←) compared to a single layer D1 is 83.03 %, and for the bilayer B1 (D1/D2←) it is 18.90 %. This observation helps to utilize the foam for the blast and shock-prone zone more effectively. The force exerted on the reaction wall of the PU foam helps in deciding the type of material to be used as the blast barrier wall. Also, this study proposes an outline to examine the material’s response in a uni-directional compression because of blast wave impact.