Interfacial failure in plastic bonded explosives
Lead Research Organisation:
Imperial College London
Department Name: Mechanical Engineering
Abstract
The project will aim to develop a method for extracting cohesive zone parameters relevant to an interface between the filler and the matrix as found in plastic bonded explosives. Fracture data from Compact Tension samples of PBX composites will be used together with an existing analytical model to determine the macroscopic traction separation behaviour of the composite as well as the microscopic traction - separation behaviour of the interface between the particles and the matrix. The project will then aim to validate the results with independent, Finite Element models for other geometries where data for the composite are available such as tension, compression or Brazilian test data. The method will be extended via a subroutine to include the effect of test rate and temperature on these cohesive properties.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Maria Charalambides (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Muhammad Iqbal (Student) |
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP/P51052X/1 | 01/10/2016 | 30/03/2022 | |||
| 1792606 | Studentship | EP/P51052X/1 | 01/10/2016 | 31/12/2020 | Muhammad Iqbal |
| Description | A polymer-bonded explosive (PBX) material and its highly non-linear binder material (visco-hyperelastic) materials properties are characterized fully through experiments, analytical methods and the finite element (FE) methodologies, using the commercially available FE software Abaqus, are further verified by the experimental results. The polymer-bonded explosive non-linear interface material properties are determined using digital image correlation (DIC) technique and compact tensions testing. The methodologies used in the characterization of the PBX material and its visco-hyperelastic binder material are very generic, and they can be used to characterize the mechanical properties any other similar kind of materials. Furthermore, the testing of the PBX costs a lot of money and time due to its hazardous nature, and the verified FE methodologies of this research work can reduce the future testing requirements considerably. |
| Exploitation Route | The verified finite element methodologies can reduce considerably the needs of Polymer-bonded explosive (PBX) material testing, as the testing of the PBX material cost a lot of money due to its hazardous nature. The testing methodologies used for the materials (non-linear PBX and visco-hyperelastic material) characterization are very generic and they can be used to characterise any other non-linear material. |
| Sectors | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Education |
| Description | This research work is partially funded by AWE, and all the research findings will be used by AWE to improve this material handling and storage. |
| Sector | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Education |
| Description | AWE Materials and Analytical Student Conference 2019 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Nuclear Forensics (NuFor) was a new 2-day technical conference being held in July 2019. The conference brought together expertise and influencers from across academia, industry and government to explore challenges, share developments and promote successes in the field of nuclear forensics and materials. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | http://www.bris.ac.uk/physics/events/2019/nuclear-forensics-conference.html |
| Description | Imperial Festival |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Work will be presented as part of a Mechanics of Materials display and demonstrations run in May 2016 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://www.imperial.ac.uk/be-inspired/festival/ |
| Description | Imperial Festival 2018 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Imperial Festival is an annual event which showcases Imperial's research with the aim to inform the general public of important advancements made in our field. It also aims to inspire future generations to pursue a career in STEM. We demonstrated and talked about the importance of cracks in previous works of art and how our research aims to advise museums and conservators on their safe storage and display for future generations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Inaugural Lecture |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Presented this project work in my inaugural lecture on 12 February 2020. The talk was carefully prepared so that it could be aimed at the non specialist as well those working in the field. Approximately 250 people attended the lecture with almost 1000 views so far for the online recording on YouTube. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | http://bit.ly/MariaCharalambides20 |
| Description | Mid-Winter-Meeting, Complex Fluids for Performance (MWM-2019) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This meeting was a great opportunity to find out how rheometry and rheology can be utilised to study complex formulations in both the research and industrial environments. With topics ranging from food and saliva to oilfield and highly filled injection moulding rheometry, this conference aimed to capture the diversity of rheological studies and highlight its importance as an analytical tool. Whether using rheometry to help study the stability of a new formulation or determining the correct shear conditions for processing, this meeting aimed to allow the networking and discussions to take place in a relaxed and friendly environment. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.bsr.org.uk/conference/mwm-2019-46/ |
| Description | Outreach |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Imperial Festival 2017 was held on 5- 7 May 2017 was a highly successful event. Its aim was to make a considerable contribution towards societal engagement at Imperial. It attracted tens of thousands of crowds and was attended by children and adults alike. The work arising from this funded project was showcased in order to show the relevance of engineering on the design of pharmaceutical patches and on conservation of art paintings. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://www.imperial.ac.uk/festival/feedback/ |