Shock attenuation of PMMA sandwich panels filled with soda-lime glass beads: A fluid-structure interaction continuum model simulation

The dramatic increase of Improvised Explosive Device (IED) related injuries has stimulated many studies to reconsider the design of the current state-of-the-art vehicle and body protective equipment. Materials now need to be chosen not only to stop solid projectiles such as shrapnel or bullets but also to attenuate the injurious effects of incoming blast waves. New advanced computational models of such events have been proved to facilitate the access to information currently inaccessible to experiments. To this end, we developed a fluid–structure interaction computational continuum model to investigate the attenuation properties of foam specimens containing filler materials under shock loading. Three test specimens were examined: a solid foam sample, and two other foam samples incorporating an intermediate layer of filler material: SiO2 aerogel and soda-lime glass beads. The model was then calibrated and the results compared to the corresponding shock tube experimental results [M.D. Alley, S.F. Son, G. Christou, R. Goel, L. Young, 2009]. In conclusion, the model shows good agreement with experiment values for the peak pressure of the transmitted wave as well as its propagation time. Complementing the existing experimental results, high density soda-lime glass beads filler material is shown to substantially decrease the peak magnitude of the transmitted wave and to decrease the spatial gradient of the pressure compared to the other lower density filler samples. However, the history of the sample reaction force suggests that the frame constraining the test specimen is being subjected to a higher impulse using the high density filler. Such a model paves the road to a new series of complex numerical models designed to accompany experimental testing by providing new insights on the mechanisms of fluid–structure interaction.

► We model the shock wave response of foam specimens containing filler materials. ► New virtual FSI framework allows for complementary information to experiments. ► Filler materials include: SiO2 aerogel and soda-lime glass beads. ► Attenuation metrics include transmitted pressure, rise time and reaction force. ► The soda-lime glass filler demonstrates superior pressure attenuation.