Blast mitigation strategies for vehicles using shape optimization methods

Abstract

This thesis is concerned with the study of blast effects on vehicular structures. The specific problem of a point source blast originating under the vehicle hull is considered, and its impact on the solid body is measured in terms of the total impulse acting on the vehicle. Simplified two-dimensional and three-dimensional computational models are developed to simulate this problem, and the effect of vehicle hull shape on the net impulse loading on the vehicle is analyzed over varying initial blast intensities. Blast mitigation strategies are proposed to minimize blast impact by identifying optimal shapes for the vehicle hull for which net impulse acting on the vehicle is minimized.