Abstract：In order to explore damage mechanisms of composite sandwich plates impacted by blast waves and high-speed fragments, experiments were carried out for sandwich plates with core of steel-GFRP-steel. Deformation modes and combined damage mechanisms of blast waves together with high-velocity fragments were analyzed. It is showed that the damage degree of the sandwich plates when subjected to combined impacts by blast waves and high-velocity fragments is greatly higher than that when just subjected to blast waves. Under blast loads, the front and back faces of sandwich plates were wrinkling, while the middle GFRP laminates were damaged with a large area delamination and fiber layers pull-off. However, under combined impact by blast waves and high-velocity fragments, a large reverse deformation as well as a central big crevasse occurred in front face while large deformation along with petalling appeared in back face. Meanwhile, the middle GFRP laminates were damaged with large delaminatioin with a big piercing hole in centre area. The blast wave energy was mainly absorbed by large deformation of the front and back faces and delamination of the middle GFRP laminate, whereas the kinetic energy of high-velocity fragments was predominately dissipated through shearing failure of the front and back faces, the stretching failure of fiber layers and delamination of the middle GFRP laminate.
2014, Vol. 33 
