An Experimentally Validated Numerical Method for Investigating the Air Blast Response of Basalt Composite Plates

Nonlinear air blast response of basalt composite plates is analysed by using a generalized differential quadrature (GDQ) method, which requires less solution time and decreases the complexity compared to finite element method. A test environment that contains a shock tube is designed and set to experiment on the transient response of blast loaded laminated plates. Experimental and numerical results show a good agreement in terms of displacement, strain and acceleration versus time. The responses of glass/epoxy, Kevlar/epoxy and carbon/epoxy composite plates are also investigated by using GDQ method and the results are compared with the basalt/epoxy composite plate and discussed.