Munitions Research

A nine-month, $99,934 effort is proposed to demonstrate the feasibility of developing new fast-running models to predict the response of masonry walls to conventional air-dropped and surface-fired munitions. The walls include concrete masonry unit (hollowor grouted) and brick. The munitions include cased bombs at some standoff, as well as proximity fuzed and point detonating artillery rounds. The models will be based on the results of numerous high-fidelity physics-based (HFPB) calculations of wallresponse using state-of-the-art nonlinear finite element and smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH) models. Principal components and singular value decomposition techniques will be used to reduce the HFPB data to a fast-running mathematical formulation thatcan be used for any arbitrary set of input parameters. The phase I effort encompasses validation of the analytical techniques for predicting wall response to combined blast and fragment loads, and particularly for detonations immediately adjacent to thewall. A suite of experimental results will be sought for use in the validation portion of the study. The models developed will be implemented (in phase II) within the MEVA code. As such they will replace current models which are of limited applicability,represent limited types of loads and response modes, and produce limited output. The resulting increase in the accuracy and utility of MEVA will enhance the Air Force's ability to use that code in a wide range of applications, including weapon development,weapon effects studies, targeting analyses. Beyond MEVA, the models may be utilized in a large number of military and civilian assessment codes which require the capability of predicting masonry wall response: IMEA, ATPlanner, Blast/FX, BEDAC, ERASDAC,BLASTPRO, etc.