Study on the attenuation law of explosive shock waves in multilayer composite materials

Abstract : To address shock wave attenuation in multilayer composite materials under contact explosion, theoretical and numerical simulation studies were conducted. First, dimensional analysis identified the main factors influencing the propagation and attenuation of explosive shock waves in such materials. Subsequently, numerical simulations were performed based on the key factor (impedance ratio), with experimental verification on the polyurethane-45# steel-UHMWPE combination (yielding the minimum pressure). Theoretical calculations of other combinations were compared with numerical results, leading to the proposal of a correction relationship and factor Y . Results show that the dominant factor affecting shock wave attenuation in multilayer composite materials is the inter-material impedance ratio. The polyurethane-45# steel-UHMWPE combination with a low-high-low impedance sequence achieves the minimum pressure, with a simulation-experiment error of less than 10%. The proposed correction relationship and factor Y control the error between corrected calculations and numerical results within 15%, enabling revision of theoretical shock wave attenuation values between different impedances. This study provides theoretical and technical support for the design of blast-resistant multilayer composite structures. • The influencing factors of shock wave propagation in multilayer composite media under contact explosion were analyzed via dimensional analysis. Numerical simulations and experimental verifications were conducted on the polyurethane-45# steel-UHMWPE combination, with the error between the two being less than 10%. • To address the limitations of the traditional graphical method, the wave transmission coefficient and impedance difference quantification index were introduced to construct the correction factor Y and the corresponding correction relationship. After correction, the error between the theoretical calculation values and numerical simulation results was controlled within 15%, which improves the accuracy of theoretical calculations. • Verification results under different medium impedance combinations and different explosive types show that the error of the correction relationship is maintained within 15%. The proposed correction relationship has good universality and can be applied to shock wave attenuation calculation under various working.