Modelling and analysis of the vehicle underbody and the occupants subjected to a shallow-buried-mine blast impulse

Abstract

When a charge is ignited at the bottom of a vehicle, the underbody and the occupants are the most vulnerable. The protection of the vehicle underbody is still a significant problem in the environment of a buried-mine blast impulse. The first part of this study presents an algorithm that can be used to simulate a shallow-buried-mine blast. Models using the multiple-material arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian algorithm and the initial-impulse mine algorithm respectively were constructed on the basis of experiments carried out by Anderson et al. The accuracy and superiority of the initial-impulse mine algorithm were proved by comparing the results for the jump velocity and the computation time. The second part introduces a blast experiment on a full-scale armoured vehicle. The occupant was represented by a Hybrid III 50th-percentile adult-male dummy. A numerical model was established using the initial-impulse mine method; the seat position represented the worst-case situation, which was same as for the experiments. A comparison of the experimental data and the simulation results, which include the peak acceleration of the floor and the force to which the dummy’s tibia is subjected, showed good agreement.

Dynamic response of ultralight all-metallic sandwich panel with 3D tube cellular core to shallow-buried explosives

“…Mine blasts and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have increasingly become dangerous threats to civil/military vehicles and crew life, causing approximately 30% of fatalities during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq [1][2][3][4]. As the typically intensive impulsive load can cause large deformation and severe damage to a vehicle, how to design its main structure (in particular, the underbody) [5] against such blast loading attracts much attention [5][6][7]. For instance, to reduce the transmitted impulse, vehicles like South African Cassipir, Cougar H, and International MaxxPro all adopted V-shaped hulls, in condition that the total vehicle weight remains unchanged [8][9][10].…”

Heavy Military Land Vehicle Mass Properties Estimation Using Hoisting and Pendulum Motion Method

“…Mass properties are important factors in understanding the stability and mobility issues of heavy-duty military land vehicles such as armoured vehicles. For example, in terms of stability issues, land vehicles can experience many subevents following improvised explosive device (IED) explosion comprising the localised deformation of the vehicle floor and blast-off because of the tenacity of the forces exerted by an IED [6][7] . By varying the point of impact of the IED toward the vehicle's underbelly, the vehicle can also be exposed to rollover effect 7 .…”

“…For example, in terms of stability issues, land vehicles can experience many subevents following improvised explosive device (IED) explosion comprising the localised deformation of the vehicle floor and blast-off because of the tenacity of the forces exerted by an IED [6][7] . By varying the point of impact of the IED toward the vehicle's underbelly, the vehicle can also be exposed to rollover effect 7 . Unlike a standard commercially available vehicle, armour vehicles have lower rollover stability thresholds with heavier loads, narrower tracks, and higher CG.…”