Dynamic response of blast loaded metal plates with composite beam stiffeners

Abstract

A considerable attention has been raised on the behaviour of structures subjected to blast loads. This is because of the increased use of explosives by terrorist groups around the world that target civilian buildings and vehicles, as well as accidental explosions occurring in various blast scenarios causing an unprecedented level of damage, structural failure and loss of lives. Therefore, blast resistant structures which are potentially prone to such threats needs to be reinforced, retrofitted and strengthened against dynamic loads using efficient but non-conventional methods such as the use of novel light-weight fibre-reinforced polymers as stiffeners to ensure protection in cases of localised failures. The design of blast loads protective structures has traditionally been associated with the use of monolithic plates, typically metals such as steel. Notwithstanding the advantages of steel, there are major weight and cost challenges with such structures. Numerous studies have been conducted till date on structural engineering, strength-to-weight and stiffness-to-weight ratios of materials. It is challenging to compare their performance as researches have not characterised these materials under the same blast test conditions using different blast parameters such as charge size, charge weight, stand-off distance and instruments. This will provide a simple design process on selecting adequate dimensions and specific material properties such that the acceptable level of damage is not exceeded during the explosion. Therefore, there is a need for future efforts to characterise various materials and structural behaviours arising from explosion. The current investigation focuses on the use of composite beam materials as stiffeners on metal plates using standardised test designs and blast parameters.