The Impulse Imparted upon Monolithic Metal Plates due to Blast Loading

Abstract

The impulse imparted onto a structure is a major component in the study of fluid-structure interactions during a blast loading event. A better understanding of the impulse transferred to a structure will lead to an improved evaluation of an object’s blast performance. However, limited experimental studies have been performed to determine the impulse imparted to a structure during a blast event. In this study, a comprehensive experimental study on the impulse imparted to free standing monolithic plates under blast loading is conducted. A series of aluminum and steel cylindrical plates were subjected to various experimental loading conditions using a shock tube apparatus. The motion of the specimens was captured using a high speed camera, Photron SA1, to determine their velocity and momentum. The relationship between the impulse transferred to the specimens and the shock wave pressures was analyzed. These results were compared with the theories developed by Xue and Hutchinson, 2004 and Kambouchev, et al, 2006, 2007. The comparisons show that the current fluid-structure model needs to be modified in air blast when the compressibility of the fluid cannot be ignored.