Defence & Security
Light armored vehicles (LAVs) are
playing an increasingly important role in the support
of troops, personnel carriers, and other more heavily
armored vehicles. As such, these vehicles and the
personnel they transport are at much greater risk
of exposure to severe battlefield conditions, including
explosive loading from enemy fire and land mines.
Research into the response of these dynamically complex
systems under explosive loading is essential to the
evaluation of the structural vulnerability of protective
armor and the minimization of blast-induced damage
susceptibility. This study focused on the applicability
of existing dynamic analysis and design methodologies
to the blast response of LAV’s. A detailed review
of a number of methodologies was conducted, including
a discussion of their advantages and limitations.
Emphasis was placed on those most suitable for modeling
the dynamic behavior LAVs. The finite element method
was selected as the most suitable methodology to illustrate
the blast response of such a detailed and dynamically
complex LAV configuration. Static, natural frequency,
and dynamic analyses of the model were then performed
using both the VAST and ABAQUS finite element programs.
Both geometric and material nonlinearities were accounted
for during the static and dynamic analyses. The analysis
results provided valuable insight into the behavior
of LAVs to complex blast loads, and will be used in
the development of analysis and design guidelines
in the next phase of the work.
Reference:
P.A. Rushton, T.S. Koko, (2000). “Blast Response
of Light-Armored Vehicles,” Martec Technical
Report No. TR-00-32
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