Analysis of Rigid Polyurethane Foam as a Shock Mitigator

In problems of water impact, the compressive stress wave generated in a weapon vehicle at the surface of contact can be quite severe. The purpose of this report is to investigate the mitigation of shock and absorption of energy under impact-loading conditions through the use of crushable materials. Experimental data are presented on the mitigated impacts of a short steel projectile on a long aluminum rod. A theoretical analysis is formulated and the results are compared with the experimental results. Mitigators of varying cross-sectional area, as well as mitigators of constant cross-sectional area, are included. The dynamic properties of the rigid polyurethane foam were obtained experimentally and from the literature and used as input for the theoretical analysis. Modified author abstract