Blast-Induced Compression of a Thin-Walled Aluminum Honeycomb Structure—Experiment and Modeling

Abstract

The presented discussion concerns the behavior of a thin-walled hexagonal aluminum honeycomb structure subjected to blast loading. The shock wave affecting the structure is generated by detonation of the C4 charge in an explosive-driven shock tube (EDST). The EDST set-up is an instrumented device that makes it possible to study blast effects in more stable and repeatable conditions than those obtained in a free-air detonation. The formation of folds characteristic of a honeycomb deformation in the axial compression distributes the initial loading over a time period, which is considered as an efficient method of energy dissipation. The test configuration is modeled in the Ls-Dyna explicit code, which enables analysis of the mechanisms of energy absorption that accompanies structural deformation under a blast loading. The conclusions reached in the performed experimental and numerical investigation can be applied to the modeling and optimization of cellular structures used to mitigate blast loadings.