Dynamic response of a laminated composite plate with viscoelastic stiffeners subject to blast load

In this paper, the effect of viscoelastic stiffeners on the dynamic response of composite plates under blast load is analyzed experimentally and numerically. In the experimental study, blast load is generated by using a cylindrical shock tube. A composite plate with clamped edges is placed in front of the shock tube and pressurized air is impinged on the laminated composite plate. Strain gauges and pressure sensors are used to acquire strain and pressure data at different points on the laminated composite plates. The stiffened composite plate is modeled using ANSYS finite element software to simulate the dynamic behavior numerically. A pressure function is defined as an approximation to experimental pressure distribution. The composite plates with four different stiffener configurations under blast load are analyzed. Strain-time histories and displacements are obtained as a result of numerical investigation. Experimental results are compared with numerical results and effect of stiffeners with viscoelastic core on damping characteristics of the stiffened plate is discussed.