Evaluation of soil and fluid structure interaction in blast modelling of the flying plate test

The influence of the soil properties on the structural integrity of impacted structures is important in light of the increased use of improvised explosive devices (IED's) and buried explosives. The study deduces material parameters for the Federal Highway Authority (FHWA) soil model in LS-DYNA and comparisons are made with the ConWep and two commonly used soil models. The softening behaviour of semi-cohesive prairie soils due to pore pressure development and the reduction of the cohesion angle are highlighted. The flying plate test is used for validation with very good agreement found, capturing the plate's kinematic and structural responses.