Novel Approaches to Blast Protection in Armoured Fighting Vehicles

在现代战争中，装甲战车面临着各种各样的爆炸威胁。船员对这种威胁的防护是至关重要的，通常由附在船体下部的水雷防护系统提供。然而，虽然这样的结构提供保护，他们不是有效的重量。此外，它们没有优化管理和衰减传输的激波。目前，典型的地雷防护系统占车辆总重量的10%，但这需要增加以应对新出现的威胁，对车辆的机动性、燃油效率和可靠性产生负面影响。因此，寻求通过在地雷保护系统中使用吸能材料和结构来提供更高质量效率的替代解决方案。在之前的本科项目中，一些问题无法从文献中得到回答，因此在博士课程的范围内提供了新颖性。例如：了解砂段塞流与其相关冲击波之间的能量比和时间尺度；船体对沙段塞和冲击波的保护，以及在沙段塞冲击之前冲击波对船体的破坏程度，以及使用所提出的新技术保护船体的机制。拟议中的研究将首先建立一个完整车辆的复杂模型，允许进行修改，随后使用LS Dyna等建模软件进行测试。我们已经通过当前的本科生“集体工业项目”在这方面有了经验。根据2013/14年本科小组项目期间的文献调查，开发的模型将用于测试各种可能的新型爆炸缓解和保护方案。许多技术在理论上已经显示出前景（特别是但不限于那些涉及用水的技术），该模型可以开发并用于测试实际可行性。随着项目的进展，在BAE系统公司（CVUK）的支持下，通过建模显示有效的保护系统可以进行实际测试，最初是小规模的，然后扩展到全面测试。

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).