Design of an Impedance-Graded Metallic Composite System as a Protective Mechanism for Concrete Structures

Protecting concrete structures from high energetic dynamic events such as blasts and impact is a major concern, in both civil- and military-related applications. Most conventional techniques fail to counter the unpredictable nature of dynamic loads, as well as the complex response of structures due to stress wave propagation. Hence, this paper explores the possibility of using a functionally graded—according to impedance—metallic composite system as a protective mechanism to a concrete structure. An analytical framework was developed using matlab, based on elastic and shock wave propagation theories, especially incorporating multiple interactions within the composite system, as well as reflections of free surfaces. A numerical analysis was carried out using the advanced finite element code LS-DYNA. The main objective of this paper was to compare the performance of the composite system against the conventional monolithic system.