Experimental Study and Three - stage Analytical Modeling of Sandwich Panels Deformation with Tubular Core under Free Explosion Load

Sandwich panels are common structures for absorbing explosion energy and used as an explosion shield. In this paper, the performance and dynamic response of a new type of metal and circular sandwich sheet structures as blast energy absorbers with radial tube cores under blast load are investigated. Analytical and experimental methods have been used to evaluate the dynamic response of the sandwich panel structure. In the analytical method, the response of the structure is divided into three separate and consecutive time stages. The first stage includes the interaction of structure and fluid, the second stage is the compression and crushing of the core and the third stage is the dynamic response and bending of the whole structure of the sandwich panel. Using the basic laws of mechanics, such as the laws of mass and momentum conservation, the analytical response of the deformation and the governing equations have been formulated, and a closed form equation for the maximum deflection has been obtained. The experiments were performed by making sandwich panels under the blast load and by free blasting method in order to evaluate and validate the analytical results. The results are compared and there is good agreement between the results in analytical and experimental methods. The average difference between the results of analytical and experimental methods is 18%.