Experimental and numerical investigations on deformation of cylindrical shell panels to underwater explosion

Experimental and numerical investigations on cylindrical shell panels subjected to underwater explosion loading are presented. Experiments were conducted on panels of size 0.8 × 0.6 × 0.00314 m and shell rise-to-span ratios h/l = 0.0, 0.05, 0.1, using a box model set-up under air backed conditions in a shock tank. Small charges of PEK I explosive were employed. The plastic deformation of the panels was measured for three loading conditions. Finite element analysis was carried out using the CSA/GENSA [DYNA3D] software to predict the plastic deformation for various loading conditions. The analysis included material and geometric non-linearities, with strain rate effects incorporated based on the Cowper-Symonds relation. The numerical results for plastic deformation are compared with those from experiments.