Dynamic response of fiber metal laminates subjected to localized high impulse blast loading

Abstract The dynamic response of glass laminate aluminum reinforced epoxy (GLARE) structures subjected to localized high impulse blast loading is studied. A new mathematical model is proposed taking the influence of strain rates on strength into account, for the woven glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites. To predict the dynamic response of GLARE structures, user-defined material and blast loading subroutines are developed and implemented into the commercial software ABAQUS/Explicit. The typical failure characteristics are accurately captured, such as perforation, petaling failure, extensive tearing and interfacial debonding. The simulation results of dynamic failure behavior and damage evolution characteristics agree well with experimental data. The influences of layer types and explosive equivalents on the failure behavior of GLARE structures are systematically discussed. At the same areal density, the blast resistance of the GLARE structures first increases and then decreases with an increase of the layer number. There is an optimal ratio (A3T22) for the number of material layers. Both the diameter of the perforation and the number of petals on the back panel increased with an increase in blast loading. The research in this paper provides theoretical support for the application of GLARE structures as anti-explosion structures.