Numerical Modelling of V-Shaped Composite Plate Subjected to Blast Loading

Abstract

Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) buried under the soil have become a new threat to the armored personal carriers (APC). It has generated the need to rethink the design or the material of the V-shaped plate placed under the APCs. The V-shaped plate is generally made of steel material. However, composite materials-Dyneema and Kevlar/Epoxy could be one of the potential materials which can replace the steel, as they are also widely used for high strain loading. Dyneema is an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fiber, has a high strength, low density (0.97 g/cc) and it is 15 times stronger than steel on an equal weight basis. Kevlar is an aramid fiber which is five times stronger than steel (on an equal weight basis) and are used with various matrix materials. Numerically and experimentally determined center point displacement of the V-shaped steel plate has been well reported in the literature. The present work focuses on the validation of the experimental results on the V-shaped steel plate with numerical results and also comparison of the predicted results of steel plates with V-shaped composite plates. Numerical results have shown a good correlation with the experimental results and followed the same progressive deformation as reported in the literature. An effort has been made to study the center point displacement of the V-shaped plate of Dyneema and Kevlar/Epoxy composites. A series of numerical simulations have been carried out on the V-shaped plate subjected under the blast loading using LS-DYNA. Explosives of different weights were considered. The charge location is considered to be below the mid point of V-shaped plate. The analysis showed that the V-shaped plates of Dyneema composite exhibited lesser deformation when compared to the Kevlar/Epoxy and steel plates. Study also showed that the Dyneema is a better material over steel and Kevlar composites for the use in V-shaped plates for APCs.