Blast Resistance and Energy Absorption of Slotted I-core Steel Sandwich Panel: A Numerical Study

Steel sandwich panels are widely used in various felds because such panels have lower density, high strength-to-weight ratio, easier fabrication and higher energy absorption compared with monolithic plates. In this study, a numerical investigation on a novel steel sandwich panel with slotted I-core under air blast loading is presented. Numerical results are compared with experimental data, and agreement between the two is found to be good. The infuences of diferent parameters such as charge weight, standof distance, strain rate and boundary conditions are considered. The obtained results emphasize the importance of charge weight and standof distance on overall dynamic response. Boundary conditions drastically afect the blast behavior of the models; displacement in free edges can exceed the defection at the center of the panel. Dynamic response of the proposed sandwich panel is also compared with equivalent structures, i.e., traditional I-core panels and equivalent monolithic plate. According to the results, slotted I-core sandwich panels outperform in comparison to equivalent structures when subjected to air blast loading