RESPONSE OF SHIELDING STRUCTURES TO EXPLOSIVE LOADING

This paper presents the results of a numerical and experimental study of the behaviour of a brass hopper held in a supporting structure subj ected to internal explosive loading. The structure is typical of those employed during the manufacture of explosive accessories. In such pro cesses the hopper acts as a feed for the explosive while the encasing structure both supports the hopper and provides protection to the surr oundings in the event of accidental initiation. The finite element mod el includes representations of the explosive, the brass hopper and the steel supporting structure. The boundaries between the components are treated as sliding and separable interfaces. Analysis is performed us ing the Oasys DYNA3D (version 5.1) finite element program. The numeric al predictions for the deformations are compared with test results. Th e DYNA3D finite element code is shown to be an effective tool for the appriasal of this type of protective structure under explosive loading . Both the numerical and experimental studies point the way to improve ments in the current design.