Modeling and Dynamic Response of Curved Steel–Concrete–Steel Sandwich Shells Under Blast Loading

Abstract

The steel–concrete–steel sandwich structures are usually composed of concrete core and face steel plates. This paper presented the dynamic response of the curved steel–concrete–steel (SCS) sandwich shells subjected to blast loading. The bolts were employed to connect the face steel plates and the concrete. Numerical model was established based on LS-DYNA and the accuracy of the modelling method was verified against existing blast test. The displacement histories, damage of concrete and energy absorption capability of the shell were obtained from the numerical calculations and discussed. Different failure modes of the curved SCS sandwich shell under various loads were obtained from numerical results, i.e., local deformation of the shell for the case of close-in detonations and buckling of steel plates for the case of far-field detonations. It was noted that the concrete debris can be restrained by the face steel plates with good ductility. Numerical results showed that the energy absorption from concrete is higher under close-in detonations on the ground. The effects of charge weight, steel plate thickness, concrete thickness and rise height on the dynamic response of curved SCS sandwich shells were also analyzed and discussed in detail. The curved SCS sandwich shell with thicker back steel plate showed better blast resistant performance. Moreover, the damage of curved shell was more serious if the rise height to span ratio (Rr-s) is beyond the range of 0.16–0.25.