The Influence of Uniform and Localized Blast Loading on the Response of Single-Layered Circular Plates: Experimental Study and Regression Analysis Using Response Surface Methodology

In the present study, the experimental study and regression analysis of the dynamic response of circular plates under uniform and localized blast loading were investigated. To this end, several experiments were performed on steel plates under different conditions in the experimental section. In order to complete the database and perform a comprehensive analysis, fourteen series of experiments and 562 data in the open literature were added to the experimental results of the present study. Subsequently, the effect of the radius and thickness of the plate, the impulse of applied load, the mechanical properties of the plate, the loading radius, and the standoff distance on the maximum deflections of circular plates were simultaneously investigated using the Design-Expert software package and response surface methodology. In order to find a significant model, the confidence level of 95% was considered in the analysis. Two separate analyses were done based on the types of loading. The values of R2 for uniform and localized blast loading are equal to 0.9712 and 0.9548, respectively. The results show that the predicted values of the models are in good agreement with the experimental data and the presented models are suitable. Optimal conditions for the minimum deflection of the circular plates under dynamic loading with uniform and local distribution were also presented.