Numerical modeling of composite spherical-roof contoured core (SRCC) sandwich panels subjected to blast loading

This article investigates the blast response of spherical-roof contoured core (SRCC) and novel spherical-roof contoured core (NSRCC) sandwich panels under blast loading, which involves the core design and material types. Due to the practical difficulties associated with investigating explosive materials and replicating blast loads, finite element (FE) modeling is a favorable method as a functional and convenient alternative. FE models are established under different charge masses of used trinitrotoluene (TNT), which is used in aluminum (AL) and carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) cores of sandwich panels. The Johnson-Cook model and the user-defined material subroutine (VUMAT) predicted the blast performance of AL and CFRP materials on SRCC and NSRCC types with three patterns. The results showed that as the mass of TNT increased from 1 kg to 3 kg, the internal energy was also linearly increased. It was shown that the NSRCC type provided higher internal energy than the SRCC type. The maximum internal energy was shown on the NSRCC2 pattern, which was 41.20 kJ with 3 kg TNT. Moreover, SRCC pattern 1 with AL material provided the minimum deflection compared with the other five patterns. It was indicated that SRCC pattern 1 showed better blast protection performance on 1, 2, and 3 kg TNT. It is highlighted that the SRCC with two patterns can have potential applications on protective structures under blast loading.