Blast resistance of polyurea based layered composite materials

Composite materials have been used in applications involving blast and ballistic impacts, and are considered effective materials in absorbing the energy of blast. Application of polyurea to composites, as a shock mitigation material is a relatively new idea. In this study, layered and sandwich composite materials, comprising of polyurea (PU) and E-glass vinyl ester (EVE) composite are experimentally evaluated for effective blast resistance using a shock tube. Rectangular plates of the plain-woven composite and the layered composite, simply supported along two edges and free along the other two were subjected to controlled blast. The free end of the plate was observed real time using a high-speed camera during the dynamic bending due to the blast. Results indicate that addition of the polyurea layer on the impact face considerably increases the blast resistance. Further, sandwich materials prepared by sandwiching the polyurea between two composite skins had the best blast resistance compared to the layered and the composite plates. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved