DEVELOPMENT OF BLAST DAMAGE ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY FOR ADVANCED COMPOSITE STRUCTURES

Dynamic response of a composit e plate subject to blast wave loading is investigated using a finite element analysis code based on a geometrically nonlinear solid shell element formulation. The analytical formulation incorporates a material damage model with failure criteria for matrix cracking, fiber breakage, and fiber matrix shear failure. A trinitrotoluene (TNT) -based, blast loading module is used to predict the blast wave pressure loading on the composite plates including ground reflection. Numerical time integration is used to calc ulate the dynamic response of a composite plate. Results are obtained for glass/epoxy composite plates and parametric studies were conducted to characterize the response of composite plates. The effects of several loading and structural parameters, includi ng the maximum loading amplitude and the ground reflection, on the dynamic behavior of composite plates are investigated. The effects of material damage on the dynamic response of a glass/polyester composite become more pronounced as the magnitude of peak blast pressure increases.