Experimental and Numerical Study on Perforated Plate Mitigation Capacity to Near-Field Blasts

Based on the analysis of existing collective shockwave protection methods worldwide, this paper addresses the mitigation of shock waves by means of passive methods, namely the use of perforated plates. Employing specialized software for numerical analysis, such as ANSYS-AUTODYN 2022R1^®, the interaction of shock waves with a protection structure has been studied. By using this cost-free approach, several configurations with different opening ratios were investigated, pointing out the peculiarities of the real phenomenon. The FEM-based numerical model was calibrated by employing live explosive tests. The experimental assessments were performed for two configurations, with and without a perforated plate. The numerical results were expressed in terms of force acting on an armor plate placed behind a perforated plate at a relevant distance for ballistic protection in engineering applications. By investigating the force/impulse acting on a witness plate instead of the pressure measured at a single point, a realistic scenario can be considered. For the total impulse attenuation factor, the numerical results suggest a power law dependence, with the opening ratio as a variable.