Interaction of hybrid pressurised cylindrical structures subjected to blast loading

Abstract

This paper studies the dynamic behaviour of fibre metal laminate pressurised barrels subjected to internal blast loadings using the multi-material arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (MMALE) formulation within the explicit finite element software RADIOSS. The barrel set-up was based on well controlled and minimal dynamic fracture tests, which aim to emulate conditions onboard a commercial aircraft. The effects of length and static prepressurisation were investigated to determine the interaction between barrel deformation and reflected shockwaves. In this paper, it is shown that the length of the barrel may significantly induce severe deformation modes as a result of shock reflection waves from the top surface of the barrel. Finally, the effect of pre-pressurisation was proven to alter the structural response to an internal explosion by providing additional internal energy to propagate the blast wave. As a result, it has been concluded that prepressurisation of an aircraft fuselage will increase the structural damage due to the detonation of an onboard explosive device and should be included in all future studies to more accurately model the dynamic crack growth and structural integrity of typical aircraft structures.

Keywords:

• Blast
• Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian
• Multi-material
• Fibre metal laminates
• Composites
• Fluid–structure interaction

The authors are indebted to their colleagues at ISMANS, Le Mans, France, particularly M. Fourment, A. Brouzes, S. Sime and F. Koumaravel for their FEA input. The financial support of the EU-FP6 VULCAN Project (project no. AST5-CT-2006-031011) is also gratefully acknowledged.

Notes

This paper is part of a special issue on Durability of composite systems