Influence of HE location on elastic-plastic tube response under blast loading

Dynamic response of a pipeline subjected to the shock wave produced by the detonation of high explosive (HE) materials is presented in this paper. LS-DYNA, a 3-D explicit, finite clement computer code was used to study this behavior. A coupled Euler-Lagrange formulation is used in the finite element analysis of such problems to accurately represent the detonation phenomenon. The latest extensive research in this area indicates that the finite element analysis of such problems requires complex meshes for Euler and Lagrange formulation. The finite element mesh with solid elements was developed during the study. Air domain and HE materials were represented by the Euler mesh. Additionally, a coupling option allowing for interaction between two different materials (HE and air) was used. A steel tube developed using shell elements in Lagrangean formulation was submerged within the air domain model. The non-linear material model which was used to describe the pipeline also included the strain rate effects. The FE analysis allowed for detailed studies of the HE blast wave development and for subsequent damage assessment of the tube.