Novel Approaches to Blast Protection in Armoured Fighting Vehicles

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Armoured fighting vehicles are exposed to a variety of blast threats in modern warfare. Crew protection against suchthreats is vital and is typically provided by a mine protection system attached to the lower section of the hull. However,whilst such structures provide protection, they are not weight efficient. Moreover, they are not optimised formanagement and attenuation of the transmitted shock wave. Currently, typical mine protection systems comprise 10% ofthe total vehicle weight but this would need to increase to deal with emerging threats, with a negative impact onmanoeuvrability, fuel efficiency and reliability of the vehicle. Therefore, alternative solutions are sought that providehigher mass efficiency by utilising energy absorbing materials and structures in the mine protection systems.During the previous undergraduate level projects, a number of questions could not be answered from the literature, andtherefore provide novelty within the scope of the PhD Programme. Some examples will include:Understanding the energy ratios and timescales involved between a sand slug and its associated shock wave; hullprotection from the sand slug and the shock wave, and the extent to which the shock wave damages the hull before theimpact of the sand slug, and mechanisms for protection of the hull using the proposed novel techniques.The proposed research would initially build a sophisticated model of a whole vehicle that would allow modifications to bemade and subsequently tested using modelling software such as LS Dyna. We already have experience of working on thisthrough a current undergraduate "group industrial project."The developed model would then be used to test a wide range of possible novel blast mitigation and protection options,as investigated from the literature during the undergraduate group project in 2013/14. A number of techniques haveshown promise in theory (particularly, but not limited to, those involving the use of water), and the model could bedeveloped and utilised to test for practical feasibility. As the project progresses, protection systems that appear effectivevia modelling could be tested practically, initially on a small scale, with the scope to move to full scale testing, with thesupport of BAE Systems (CVUK).