Significance of Sandwich Panel’s Core and Design on Its Impact Resistance under Blast Load

Abstract

Extensive research is conducted on enhancing the blast mitigation performance of the sandwich panels by examining different design parameters, and core geometries. Nevertheless, there is no direct comparison between those alternatives to evaluate their contribution to maximizing energy absorption. In this research, three core designs honeycomb, mushroom, and tubular were compared to determine the influence of core shape on the panel’s impact resistance against blast load. In addition to varying core shapes, the effect of plate thickness and the spacing between the core shapes are also examined. Finite element analysis was used to evaluate the performance of these designs. Twenty-seven numerical experiments were performed and then analyzed using regression analysis. Results reveal that the tubular sandwich panel exhibited minimum deformation, and least damage and contributed to the highest kinetic energy dissipation. On the other hand, honeycomb core structures recorded the highest internal energy dissipation, largest deformation, and damage. Despite those differences, core shape and core spacing were not as influential in resisting blast load compared to plate thickness. Facade plate thickness was the most significant factor. Results suggest that more research needs to be targeted toward enhancing façade plate stiffness for better mitigation of blast load.