Nonlinear Structural Response of Laminated Composite Plates Subjected to Blast Loading

We are concerned with the theoretical analysis of the laminated composite plates exposed to normal blast shock waves as well as presenting correlation between the theoretical analysis and the experimental results of the strain time histories. The laminated composite plate is clamped at all edges. On the theoretical side of the study, dynamic equations of the plates are derived by the use of the virtual work principle within the framework of the Love theory of plates. The geometric nonlinearity effects are taken into account with von Karman assumptions. Then the governing equations of the laminated plate are solved by the Runge-Kutta-Verner method. A new displacement function is considered for the theoretical solution of the blast-loaded clamped plate. Furthermore, finite element modeling and analysis for the blast-loaded composite plates are presented. On the experimental side of the study, tests have been carried out on the laminated composite plates with clamped edges for two different blast loads. The results of theoretical and finite element methods are compared with the experimental results. Theoretical and finite element analyses results are in a good agreement. There is a qualitative agreement between the analyses and experimental results in the first load case. The predicted peak strains and response frequency are in an agreement with the experimental results for first load case. Thus the theoretical solution may be used for providing material in the preliminary design stage. There is a difference between the analysis and experimental results in the second load case because of the extremely large deflections. In this study the effects of loading conditions, geometrical properties, and material properties are separately examined on the dynamic behavior, as well.