Large deflection response of rectangular metal sandwich plates subjected to blast loading

• A solution for large deflection response is obtained by using exact yield criterion.
• Analytical membrane mode solutions are obtained for large deflection response.
• New so-called ‘bounds’ are obtained by using approximate yield criteria.

A theoretical study is conducted to predict the large deflection response of fully clamped rectangular sandwich plates subjected to blast loading. Using the energy dissipation rate balance theory and a new yield criterion including the effect of core strength, we obtained the solutions for the dynamic response of rectangular sandwich plate, in which the effect of finite deflection are incorporated and elastic effect is neglected. Also, we obtain the new so-called ‘bounds’ of dynamic response by using the inscribing and circumscribing squares of the exact yield locus. Further, we neglect the effect of bending moment and obtained analytical membrane mode solutions for large deflection of the sandwich plate. Finite element numerical calculations are also carried out to study the dynamic response of the sandwich plate subjected to blast loading. Comparisons of the present analytical predictions and the present numerical and the previous experimental results are given and good agreement is found.