Hope College Department of Physics and Engineering
Research Experiences for Undergraduates
Summer 2005
Project Summary

 

Project Title:

Modeling of a Blast Loaded Flat Panel with Stringers

Student Name: Courtney Clum
Student's Home Institution: Hope College
Research Advisor: Dr. Roger Veldman
Source of Support: Transportation Security Administration, NSF

The goal of this research project was to model a blast loaded reinforced plate using the finite element analysis software ANSYS-LS/DYNA. These modeled predictions were then compared to experimental results. The finite element model includes the plate material, reinforcing stringers, and special contact conditions between the skin and the stringers. Difficulties arose in matching the modeling data with the experimental data because the experimental boundary conditions could not completely eliminate edge slippage during testing. However, both the experimental data and the modeling showed similar trends, therefore making the modeling valid when evaluating parametric variations on the panel design. It was found that a blast loaded bare plate deformed more (~15%) than a reinforced plate. Additionally, DYNA predicted that increasing stringer to plate bond strength would not significantly reduce stringer deformation. Increasing panel thickness, however, for both a bare plate and a reinforced plate did decrease the panel deformation.

Results from this work have been presented at the following conferences:

“Effects of Pre-Pressurization on Damage of Blast-Loaded Reinforced Plates”
R.L. Veldman, J. Ari-Gur, C. Clum, ASME International Mechanical Engineering
Congress and Exposition, Orlando, Florida, November, 2005.

“Effects of Pre-Pressurization on Plastic Deformation of Blast-Loaded Square
Aluminum Plates,” R.L. Veldman, J. Ari-Gur, C. Clum, J. Folkert, 8th
International LS-DYNA Users Conference, Dearborn, Michigan, May 2004.

The results are also published in
"Effects of Pre-pressurization on Blast Response of Clamped Aluminum Plates",
International Journal of Impact Engineering, R. L. Veldman, J. Ari-Gur, C.
Clum, A. DeYoung, J. Folkert. October 2006, 32(10), pp. 1678-1695.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijimpeng.2005.02.006

"Response of pre-pressurized reinforced plates under blast loading", International Journal of Impact Engineering, R.L. Veldman, J. Ari-Gur, C. Clum. April 2008, 35(4), pp 240-250. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijimpeng.2007.01.006