Abstract
A numerical model is developed and validated to analyse the performance of aluminium skin and agglomerated cork core sandwich plates subjected to blast loads. Two numerical approaches are used and thoroughly compared to generate the blast loading: an Arbitrary-Lagrangian–Eulerian approach and the Load Blast Enhanced method. Both of the models are validated by comparing the numerical results with experimental observations. A detailed analysis of the sandwich behaviour is done for both approaches showing small differences regarding the mechanical response of the sandwich structure. The results obtained from the numerical models uncover the specific energy absorption mechanisms happening within the sandwich plate components. A new core topology is proposed, based on these results, which maximises the energy absorption capacity of the plate, keeping the areal density unchanged. A wavy agglomerated cork core is proposed and the effects of different geometrical parameters on the energy absorption are thoroughly analysed and discussed. The proposed optimised plate configuration shows an increase in the total absorbed energy of close to 40% relative to a reference case with the same areal density. The adopted optimisation methodology can be applied to alternative configurations to increase the performance of sandwich structures under blast events.
Highlights
Sandwich structures are used in a wide range of applications, such as in aerospace or naval structures, mostly because they are lightweight and typically have high bending stiffness.Sandwich structures have two thin outer skins and a thicker lightweight core and, because of their design, their structural and manufacturing simplicity, the potential for new applications is wide.Traditionally, the skins are either metallic or made of composite materials, such as fibre reinforced plastics (FRP), depending on the specific application and use
A numerical model is developed to study the behaviour of aluminium-cork sandwich panels under blast loading
The Load Blast Enhanced (LBE) approach is an empirical method in which the explosive is simplified to a spherical air burst, the pressure imposed by the wave on exposed surfaces is calculated while taking the mass of the high-explosive, the distance to the target, and the angle of incidence relative to the location of the explosive into account [43]
Summary
Sandwich structures are used in a wide range of applications, such as in aerospace or naval structures, mostly because they are lightweight and typically have high bending stiffness. A number of researchers have studied the mechanical, thermal, and high strain rate behaviour of cork, and cork derivatives, such as agglomerated cork compounds, by subjecting material samples to impacts at a wide range of energies [7] Most of these studies prove that this natural cellular material has a huge potential to be used in energy absorption applications. Some authors have explored optimising geometrical parameters of the sandwich panel in order to increase the energy absorption capability without significantly compromising the overall weight of a structure. These studies have almost exclusively focused on quasi-static loading. The main objective is to present a novel contribution for the energy absorption of sandwich plates, proposing and validating an optimised geometry for the core
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