The uniform monolithic metallic plate is the standard for assessing structural
performance against blasts. For example, this has been the reference in recent work
assessing the blast resistance of sandwich plates. Here, the performance of monolithic
plates made from a hardening metal with high ductility is investigated by systematic
optimization. The thickness distribution of clamped monolithic wide plates is
optimized with respect to minimizing the permanent deflection at midspan
under impulsive loads. The optimized plates are compared to a uniform
plate of the same mass. Two load cases are considered: one with impulses
acting uniformly along the plate, and one with impulses acting over a central
patch. In both cases the reduction of permanent deflection of the optimized
plate relative to the uniform plate is pronounced for small impulses but
progressively smaller for larger impulses. For large impulses the optimal
thickness distribution differs only slightly from that of a uniform plate. The
study confirms the effectiveness of uniform thickness plates against large
impulses.
Keywords
impulsive loads, FE simulations, finite deflections, blast
resistance, monolithic plates
