Meta-Material Layout for the Blast Protection of Above-Ground Steel Pipes

Abstract

The current study investigates the capacity of the proposed meta-material layout for the blast protection of above-ground steel pipes against explosions. The philosophy of the meta-material layout’s design is described adequately, and the 1D periodic structures’ theory is adopted for the analytical prediction of the layout’s band-gaps. The special characteristics of the blast loading are explained, and specific time-related parameters are calculated. The layout is tested numerically for nine explosion scenarios of various magnitude via the finite element program ABAQUS, and the CONWEP model is selected for the simulation of the explosions. The results demonstrate a significant reduction in the maximum displacements developed on the pipe’s spring line and crown within a blast loading. This study composes an extension of the author’s previous research on buried steel pipes and surface explosion, advancing now the applicability of the meta-material layouts for the cases of above-ground steel pipes towards explosions and blast hazards. The outer goal is the investigation and the further spreading of the beneficial exploitation of meta-materials concepts for the scope of the pipelines’ effective blast protection, readdressing that this way is a major hazard for this type of structure and a gap in the current literature.