Institute of Fundamental Technological Research

The presented discussion concerns the behavior of a thin-walled hexagonal aluminum honeycomb structure subjected to blast loading. The shock wave affecting the structure is generated by detonation of the C4 charge in an explosive-driven shock tube (EDST). The EDST set-up is an instrumented device that makes it possible to study blast effects in more stable and repeatable conditions than those obtained in a free-air detonation. The formation of folds characteristic of a honeycomb deformation in the axial compression distributes the initial loading over a time period, which is considered as an efficient method of energy dissipation. The test configuration is modeled in the Ls-Dyna explicit code, which enables analysis of the mechanisms of energy absorption that accompanies structural deformation under a blast loading. The conclusions reached in the performed experimental and numerical investigation can be applied to the modeling and optimization of cellular structures used to mitigate blast loadings.

thin-walled hexagonal aluminum honeycomb, dynamic compression, blast energy absorption, EDST, numerical simulation of blast effects

The main objective of this study is related to the modeling of an aluminum thin-walled honeycomb structure under blast loading. The blast test is performed by means of an explosively driven shock tube (EDST). A planar shock wave is generated by a small amount of an explosive charge detonated in front of the tube. The honeycomb core is compressed by a movement of the steel plate located at the end of the tube. In the experiment, the honeycomb deformation is recorded by a high-speed camera and the absorbed loading by the structure is measured by a force sensor fixed on the rear sample face. The simulation of the material behavior is carried out using the Lagrangian approach implemented in LS-DYNA, ver. R9.0.1. The shock pressure generated by the explosion is recalculated to define the force applied to the plate being in contact (*AUTOMATIC_SURFACE_TO_SURFACE with friction) with the honeycomb and causing its deformation. The honeycomb is meshed by shell elements with a default formulation ELFORM: BELYTSCHKO-TSAY. The front plate is assumed as a rigid body to induce a uniform deformation of the honeycomb structure modeled using *MAT_SIMPLIFIED_JOHNSON_COOK 098 with parameters published in, [1-2]. The simulations are performed for different number of unit cells to define the honeycomb, from a single cell to fifty-three cells, aiming to indicate a minimal cell number required to model properly the entire structure. A dependence of numerical results on the mesh size, unit cell dimensions, friction conditions and the strain rate has been verified. The comparison between values of the load absorbed by the sample crushed numerically and experimentally shows a good agreement providing an insight into mechanisms of blast wave absorption by honeycomb structures. Such an analysis may be further applicable in development of advanced cellular structures applied to dissipate blast energy.