Optimization of a light-weight composite blast containment vessel structural response

Authors

Jagadeep Thota, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow
Ashok K. Ayyaswamy, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow
Mohamed B. Trabia, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow
Brendan O’Toole, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

11-15-2007

Publication Title

ASME 2007 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition

Volume

10

Issue

A

First page number:

539

Last page number:

547

Abstract

This paper proposes an optimization technique for increasing the structural integrity of a light-weight composite blast containment vessel. The vessel is cylindrical with two hemispherical ends. It has a steel liner that is internally reinforced with throttles and gusset plates and wrapped with a basalt-plastic composite. A finite element model of the blast containment vessel was proposed and verified in an earlier work. The parameters of the vessel are incorporated within an iterative optimization procedure to decrease the peak strains within the vessel, which are caused by internal blast loading due to an explosive charge placed at the center of the vessel. The procedure is validated for different initial guesses of the design variables.

Language

english

Repository Citation

Thota, J., Ayyaswamy, A. K., Trabia, M. B., O’Toole, B. (2007). Optimization of a light-weight composite blast containment vessel structural response. ASME 2007 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, 10(A), 539-547.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/IMECE2007-41928