Two-material optimization of plate armour for blast mitigation using hybrid cellular automata

Abstract

With the increased use of improvised explosive devices in regions at war, the threat to military and civilian life has risen. Cabin penetration and gross acceleration are the primary threats in an explosive event. Cabin penetration crushes occupants, damaging the lower body. Acceleration causes death at high magnitudes. This investigation develops a process of designing armour that simultaneously mitigates cabin penetration and acceleration. The hybrid cellular automaton (HCA) method of topology optimization has proven efficient and robust in problems involving large, plastic deformations such as crash impact. Here HCA is extended to the design of armour under blast loading. The ability to distribute two metallic phases, as opposed to one material and void, is also added. The blast wave energy transforms on impact into internal energy (IE) inside the solid medium. Maximum attenuation occurs with maximized IE. The resulting structures show HCA's potential for designing blast mitigating armour structures.

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Acknowledgements

This material is based upon work supported by the US Army TACOM Life Cycle Command under Contract No. W56HZV-08-C-0236, through a subcontract with Mississippi State University, and was performed for the Simulation Based Reliability and Safety (SimBRS) research program. The authors would also like to recognize particularly the late Dr John Renaud, who passed away in March of 2011 after a battle with cancer. His friendship, generosity, wisdom, and contributions to the field of optimization will be sorely missed.