* Corresponding author. Tel.: 091-22-576-7343; fax: 091-22-578-3480.

E-mail address: abhijit@civil.iitb.ernet.in (A. Mukherjee).

International Journal of Impact Engineering 24 (2000) 975}984
Layered sacri"cial claddings under blast loading
Part II * experimental studies
S. Guruprasad, Abhijit Mukherjee*
Research & Development Establishment (Engineers), Dighi, Pune 411 015, India
Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, Mumbai 400 076, India
Received 15 July 1999; received in revised form 15 December 1999
Abstract
This paper discusses the performance of sacri"cial layer under blast loading. A number of blast experi-
ments have been carried out on sacri"cial layered claddings. The blast overpressures were recorded by two
crystal-type blast pressure gauges. The deformations of the layers of the claddings were also recorded. The
layers collapsed successively in the same manner as predicted in the analytical studies. The collapse mode of
the unit cell was always the same as predicted in the analytical studies. However, collapse of the layers was
slower than predicted in the analytical studies. The experiments have shown the e$cacy of the layered
sacri"cial claddings in design of blast resistant structures. 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction
In Part I, analytical studies of the layered sacri"cial cladding were discussed. The experimental
veri"cation is reported in this paper. Experimental studies were carried out to validate the
analytical models as reliable design tools. Experimental work involving blast loading is expensive
and requires careful planning in design of the specimens as well as the instrumentation scheme.
The specimens should cover variations of all the important parameters of study in line with the
objectives of the experiments. The instrumentation scheme should be capable of measuring the
aspects of the structural response that have a direct bearing on the objectives of the experimental
study.
In this paper, the experimental specimens, the experimental set up adopted, the instrumentation
scheme and the data acquisition and processing system are discussed in detail. The scheme of
0734-743X/00/$- see front matter 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
PII: S 0 7 3 4 - 7 4 3 X( 0 0 ) 0 0 0 0 5 - 1
experiments and challenges faced during experiments have also been discussed. The reported
experiments on blast and impulsively loaded structures are brie#y reviewed.
The phenomenon of energy absorption through plastic deformations including the e!ects of
elasticity, strain hardening and strain rate sensitivity are similar for structures subjected to impact
or blast loads. All the literature dealing with impact loading and corresponding structural response
is relevant to blast loading also. Jones [1,2] has reviewed literature under dynamic plastic
behaviour of ductile metallic structures subjected to impact and blast loads. Field experiments
conducted on energy absorbing structures subjected to blast load are sparse. However, studies on
small-scale structural elements like plates, sti!ened plates, beams and grillages are available and
they are very useful in understanding the response of structures subjected to blast loads.
Nurick et al. [3] have carried out investigations on deformation and tearing of blast-loaded
sti!ened square plates. The plates and the sti!ener are machined out of a block of material and
hence, completely built in. Numerical studies using "nite element analysis have been carried out
including strain-rate e!ects with Cowper}Symonds relations. For blast loading a rectangular pulse
with the duration equal to burn time of the explosive is used. Ballistic pendulum has been used to
measure the impulse and the burn time of the explosive is taken as the duration. Using these two
quantities the blast pressures have been calculated.
Houlston and Slater [4] have carried out experimental and analytical studies on ship panels
subjected to air blast loading. The ship panels were sti!ened plates with box beams and were
clamped to a concrete base seated on the ground. The instrumentation in the experiments consisted
of transducers to measure blast pressures, accelerometers and strain gauges. The recordings of
pressure, acceleration and strain were analog that were subsequently digitised at 50 kHz for
pressure and acceleration and 25 kHz for strain. The "nite element model was a quarter of the
square plate with beam sti!eners. The analytical and experimental work was compared and the
experiments produced more deformations than analytically predicted.
Wierzbicki et al. [5] have studied transient response of plastic cylindrical shells using a simpli"ed
analytical model. They have also studied ring reinforced cylinders under impact and blast loading.
A comparison of the analytical results with limited experimental results [6] was also presented.
Simple formulae for ballistic limit of an unsti!ened shell subjected to a missile impact and the
critical impulse to rupture of a sti!ened shell are also presented.
Galiev [7] has carried out experimental studies on circular plates and has observed some
counterintuitive behaviour, i.e. the "nal de#ections are contrary to the direction of the impulsive
loading. The importance of considering the negative phase of the blast wave in certain conditions is
highlighted in his paper.
Li and Jones [8] have studied dynamic response of a fully clamped circular plate with
rigid-perfectly plastic material model. Theoretical solutions are obtained for a general blast loading
distributed uniformly over the entire area of the plate. The e!ects of di!erent boundary conditions,
pressure pulse loading shapes and the in#uence of the transverse shear force on the dynamic plastic
response of circular plates are studied. The critical conditions are predicted for a transverse shear
severance to occur at the supports of a circular plate when transverse shear e!ects are retained in
the yield condition. They have also investigated dynamic response of a short cylindrical shell [9]
that is made from a rigid, perfectly plastic material. The e!ect of transverse shear is studied in
particular. The theoretical results are combined with an elementary failure criterion to predict the
critical conditions for a transverse shear failure.
976 S. Guruprasad, A. Mukherjee / International Journal of Impact Engineering 24 (2000) 975}984
Nurick et al. [10] have carried out experiments for prediction of the onset of thinning (necking)
and the subsequent tearing at the boundary of clamped circular plates subjected to uniformly
loaded air blasts. They have investigated di!erent clamped edge conditions viz. sharp, round with
di!erent radii. They have compared the experimental results with analytical results obtained using
"nite element analysis.
Watson et al. [11] have carried out experimental investigations on steel claddings subjected to
blast loading. Scaled specimens were used for carrying out experimentation. Comparisons are
made between the damage produced on the scale model and on comparable full scale buildings of
similar construction.
Jiang and Olson [12] have developed a simpli"ed method of analysis to predict the nonlinear
dynamic response of submerged sti!ened plates subjected to underwater explosions. Rigid}plastic
beam and beam grillage approach is used to model the dynamic response. The mathematical
formulation of the coupled "eld system is brie#y outlined and some illustrative examples are
presented.
The experimental work carried out by di!erent investigators also highlights the di$culties faced
in instrumentation and recording of structural response. Blast pressure gauges, strain gauges and
accelerometers are the transducers generally used in measurements. Sometimes, indirect methods
have been adopted to measure certain quantities. Foe example, ballistic pendulum has been used
for measuring impulse and then calculating the blast pressure. We shall now introduce the present
experimental set-up.
2. Experiments
2.1. Specimen preparation
The sacri"cial device has been introduced in Part I. Experimental specimens consisted of the
same cellular construction. The focus of the study was on behaviour of unit cells in the sacri"cial
layers. Hence, the structure should be big enough to accommodate a few rows of unit cells with
su$cient width. Fig. 1 shows the photograph of the experimental set-up with a typical test
specimen. The cladding layers were fabricated out of 1.2 and 1.6 mm mild steel sheets. The
mechanical properties of the sheets are indicated in Section 3 of Part I. All the test specimens were
of 1 m;2 m dimension. The cladding layers were stitch welded to a rigid frame of heavy steel
channel sections.
The cells consist of 1 cover plate, 1 bottom plate and two web plates joined together by spot
welds staggered by 15 mmand with a pitch of 30 mm (Fig. 2). A few specimens with a single unit cell
of 100 mm width were fabricated and loaded until complete collapse to see adequacy of the joint
strengths. The joint strength was found adequate under gradual loading as well as impact loading.
The web plates were bent to the required shape by a plate bending machine and the geometry was
controlled by a template.
2.2. Test set-up
The experimental specimens were placed on ground with sacri"cial cladding surface on top and
horizontal. Fig. 1 shows the experimental set up adopted. Two poles were erected with a rope
S. Guruprasad, A. Mukherjee / International Journal of Impact Engineering 24 (2000) 975}984 977
Fig. 1. Experimental set-up. Fig. 2. Single unit cell specimen.
across on top. The test specimens are placed centrally below the rope. The explosive charge is hung
from the middle of the rope so that the charge is centrally above the cladding surface. This closely
simulates free air burst. The height of the charge is adjusted with the help of the rope. TNT charges
were used for all explosions as the blast parameters for TNT are well established. Since the base
frame structure on which sacri"cial cladding structure is "xed is quite heavy, no anchoring of the
specimen was required. After each explosion the rope was replaced.
2.3. Instrumentation scheme
The instrumentation consists of the blast pressure measuring devices and the response measure-
ment of the cladding. The instrumentation for blast pressure measurements consisted of crystal
type blast pressure gauges to record side on blast pressures. Two sets of pressure gauges were used,
one at the same distance as between the explosive charge and the cladding surface, the other gauge
at 0.5 m further. The gauges were mounted at right angles to each other on pedestals and at the
same height as the explosive charges. Two charges were exploded to examine the transducers and
instrumentation.
For recording the structural response usual options are to use accelerometers and strain gauges.
Under blast environment, use of accelerometers would be very expensive as the accelerometers may
get damaged. If strain gauges are used it is very di$cult to convert the strain gauge recordings to
structural response in terms of deformation history. A special arrangement was devised for
recording deformation histories of each layer in the sacri"cial cladding. This new arrangement
consists of a set of potentiometers rigged to record the deformations. Fig. 3 shows the scheme of
measuring the deformations in a cell. The potentiometer is mounted on a bracket pasted on the
978 S. Guruprasad, A. Mukherjee / International Journal of Impact Engineering 24 (2000) 975}984
Fig. 3. Arrangement for measuring deformation of layers.
Table 1
Details of specimens and blast loads
Test no. TNT charge weight (kg) Height of charge (m) Number of layers Sheet thickness (mm)
1 2.5 1.5 1 1.6
2 4.1 1.5 3 1.2
3 4.1 1.5 1 1.6
4 5.1 1.5 3 1.6
5 5.0 1.5 3 1.5
6 4.1 2 3 Cover & base 1.2 mm,
web 1.6 mm
7 4.1 2 3 1.2
8 2.5 2 3 1.2
9 4.1 2 1 1.6
10 2.5 2 1 1.6
base plate using a quick setting resin. A slotted arm is "xed to the shaft of the potentiometer and
the slot is engaged with a pin on the top bracket pasted to the cover plate. When the cover plate
deforms the arm and the potentiometer shaft rotates causing a change in the potential across the
potentiometer. This change is recorded in a data acquisition system. The deformation of the cover
plate and the change in potential are calibrated before hand for each potentiometer.
2.4. Tests and results
Table 1 gives the details of the experiments carried out. All the TNT charges used were
cylindrical in shape with an aspect ratio of approximately 1. Table 1 of Part I details the peak
pressure and duration for each blast.
S. Guruprasad, A. Mukherjee / International Journal of Impact Engineering 24 (2000) 975}984 979
Fig. 4. Deformed shape Test 6. Fig. 5. Analytical deformed shape.
Fig. 4 shows the deformed specimen for Test 6. The "rst layer has completely collapsed,
whereas the second layer has not fully collapsed, the third layer has undergone marginal plastic
deformations. The analytical simulation of this experiment is presented in Case 3 of Part I. The
predicted deformation is presented in Fig. 5. The analytical and experimental deformations the "rst
and the third layers compare favourably. The second layer has undergone less deformation than
predicted in the analysis. The analysis does not include a few modes of energy dissipation such as
rubbing of web plates with cover and joint deformations at the spot welds. As a result, it
overpredicts deformation. Moreover, the analytical snap shot is taken before the elastic recovery.
The upward bend of the top plate is the result of elastic recovery. Figs. 6 and 7 show the
comparison of deformation histories for Test 6. The agreement between the analytical and the
experimental results is very good. The analysis, however, has predicted a slightly faster collapse of
both layers. The analysis absorbs the blast through plastic deformation only, while in experiment
some additional modes of energy dissipation take place.
Figs. 8 and 9 compare the experimental and analytical deformations for Test 7. Figs. 10}12 show
deformation histories of the three layers and compares them with analytical results corresponding
to Case 4 in Part I.
Figs. 8 and 9 show that there is a good agreement between experimental and analytical "nal
deformed shapes. The comparison of deformation histories is also reasonably good. The
di!erences are mainly due to exclusion of some of the dissipating agents from the analytical study.
Other tests also produced similar results. These tests validate the analytical technique and con"rm
that the goals of a sacri"cing layer have been met in the design.
One of the vital di!erences between the analysis and the experiments was that in some
experiments wherein the distance between the cladding surface and the explosive charge is small
(1.5 m) the cover plate of the "rst layer was torn and this damage was not analytically predicted.
980 S. Guruprasad, A. Mukherjee / International Journal of Impact Engineering 24 (2000) 975}984
Fig. 6. Deformation history of layer 1 (Test 6). Fig. 7. Deformation history of layer 2 (Test 6).
Fig. 8. Deformed shape Test 7. Fig. 9. Analytical deformed shape.
The re#ected overpressure at the initial moments seems to have shot up for small charge distances.
The theoretical curve did not include this initial peak. Moreover, for small charge distances the
pressure generated over the surface area of the plate is not uniform. As a result, the area under
higher pressure undergoes plastic deformation and in the process pulls the plate that is under lesser
S. Guruprasad, A. Mukherjee / International Journal of Impact Engineering 24 (2000) 975}984 981
Fig. 10. Deformation history of layer 1 (Test 7). Fig. 11. Deformation history of layer 2 (Test 7).
Fig. 12. Deformation history of layer 3 (Test 7).
pressure. That generates a lot of membrane forces in the cover plate. This is contrary to the
assumption of uniform pressure made in the analysis. However, in the successive layers the cover
plates remained intact and the overall design is successful.
982 S. Guruprasad, A. Mukherjee / International Journal of Impact Engineering 24 (2000) 975}984
3. Conclusions
The experimental results have validated the design and the basic observation made through
analytical studies. The analysis marginally overpredicted the deformation and underpredicted the
collapse time. This is due to the absence of some dissipating agents from the analytical model. If the
distance of the explosive charge is small, the re#ected overpressures may be very high and the "rst
layer cover plate may tear but the internal layers are not torn. The experiments have adequately
validated the analytical models and established the layered sacri"cial claddings as an e!ective
energy absorbing device for design of structures under blast loads.
Observations on the performance of a sacri"cial cladding structure under blast loading are as
follows:
E The sacri"cial cladding is very e$cient in dissipating blasts.
E The cells of sacri"cial cladding have prede"ned plastic zones; this makes the collapse behaviour
consistent.
E The behaviour of the cells in the sacri"cial cladding is predictable over the whole range of blast
loads.
E The layered cladding consisting of several layers of cells collapses sequentially.
E Transfer of impulse through the sacri"cial layer is marginal, allowing elastic design of non-
sacri"cial layer.
E The experimental scheme proposed in this paper is successful in measuring the blast pressures
and the corresponding collapse behaviour of the cladding.
E The experimental and theoretical results are in good agreement. The analysis marginally
underpredicts collapse time and overpredicts deformation due to exclusion of some modes
of dissipation.
E In case of short charge distances the top cover plate in some cases was torn due to high peak
re#ected overpressure.
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