Experimental studies of the explosion resistance of steel plate with an energy-absorbing layers

The aim of this paper is to examine explosion resistance of a composite structure which consists of the steel plate and energy-absorbing layers. With this end, an experimental study of the deformation of 2-3 mm thick steel plates containing different protective layers, namely, an aluminum honeycomb plate, an aluminum sheet, tubular core, polyurethane foam, or an aramid fabrics layer, subjected to explosion generated air shock wave load, has been carried out. At the initial stage of testing, absorbing properties of various composites were examined under relatively low intensity dynamic loads (820 kPa). The dynamic response was assessed by applying bending attenuation and plate center acceleration attenuation factors. This was followed by testing sandwich structures under critical load conditions, when the plate was demolished or subjected to a substantial residual deformation. The study has shown that the composite containing an aluminum honeycomb plate has higher explosion resistance as compared to other tested composites. The proposed design ensures retention of explosion resistance under relatively high dynamic impacts at a reduced distance W = 0.46 m/kg 1/3 .