Testing the Explosion Resistance and Energy Absorption of a Polyurethane-Foamed Aluminum Composite Structure

Abstract

Concrete structures can suffer damage from the shock waves caused by explosions. However, the damage can be mitigated in practice by increasing the size of the energy-absorbing interlayers to improve the antiknock performance of the concrete. The aim of this paper is to investigate the energy-absorbing capability of a composite structure of polyurethane-foamed aluminum and concrete. The composite structure consisted of C60 concrete with foamed aluminum or polyurethane-foamed aluminum as a sandwich material. The thickness of the interlayers and the relative amounts of the different materials in the structure were the variables that were adjusted from test to test. To capture data related to the explosion, the structure was instrumented with pressure, acceleration, strain gauge, and displacement sensors. The efficacy of this structure was validated by way of surface contact explosions using 0.5 kg of TNT. By appropriately positioning the explosives in each test, the related parameters in the explosions, including the stress, displacement, acceleration, and strain, were recorded. The results of the tests indicated that the energy-absorbing capability of the polyurethane-foamed aluminum was significantly higher than that of the foamed aluminum, and the thickness of the energy-absorbing layer had a great impact on the energy absorption effect.