Finite Element and Experimental Analyses of an Armoured Vehicle Subjected to Landmine Blast

Abstract

Landmines severely threaten the armoured vehicles. The principal objective is to present a methodology for blast simulations of vehicles subjected to landmine explosions. First, free field blast experiment of 2 kg TNT charge in a steel pot is carried out to validate the blast parameters used in the numerical simulation. Overpressure-time history collected in the free field blast experiment is compared to the numerical simulation results. Numerical simulations are performed in LS-DYNA hydrocode that employs Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian formulation enabling a fully coupled interaction between the blast wave, the detonation gases, and the vehicle. Second, the full-scale field test of an armoured vehicle exposed to 6 kg of TNT charge in a steel pot underneath the rear end of the vehicle is conducted. Maximum dynamic deformations measured inside the vehicle are compared to the results calculated in the numerical simulation. Results show that the numerical simulation is in good agreement with the full-scale field test.