Failure and detachment path of impulsively loaded plates

Abstract

Abstract The deformation and detachment path of simply-supported and fully clamped mild steel quadrangular plates subjected to impulsive blast loads are investigated numerically. A comprehensive failure model that incorporates two competing mechanisms of damage due to ductile and shear failure is employed to simulate the progression of tearing within the plate. The stress triaxiality dependent Modified Mohr-Coulomb (MMC) fracture criterion is implemented in a finite element model, and experimental tensile and shear tests were carried out to calibrate the material parameters. The direction of crack propagation along the clamped plate support and the residual length are predicted for a wide range of impulse intensity, reproducing the failure modes observed experimentally. Furthermore, the developed model highlights the different failure mechanisms that occur in simply-supported plates, similar to those of panels subjected to localised blast loadings. Parametric studies are performed to establish dimensionless failure maps and investigate the influence of plate topology and boundary conditions on the dynamic response, for both square and rectangular geometries, thus offering an effective support for the design of impulsively loaded plates for advanced engineering applications.