Enhancing energy absorption in rubber–sand (Ru–San) composite blocks against ballistic impact: a multi-objective optimisation approach

Abstract

This study focuses on optimizing process parameters to minimize the thickness of Ru–San composite blocks against high-velocity impact, aiming to enhance projectile energy absorption, particularly in military trench systems. The critical challenge in developing composite blocks as potential sandbag replacements for trench-bunker systems is optimizing their thickness for improved energy absorption during high-velocity impacts. By employing an optimization technique, this study seeks to determine the minimum thickness of the rubber–sand composite block capable of withstanding the full kinetic energy of a projectile without piercing, thereby advancing protective measures in military and security applications. The material used is a rubber–sand composite, consisting of 00 to 20 wt% of sand particles with various sizes ranging from 250 to 750 μm. The optimisation approach employed in this study includes screening design, Vikor and analytic hierarchy process of optimisation techniques. Finite element simulation is used to model the projectile's impact on the rubber–sand composite block and to analyse the energy absorption behaviour of the material under high-velocity impact. The results of this study show that process parameters such as the thickness of the target, wt% of sand, and size of sand particles significantly impact the energy absorption of the rubber–sand composite block. The optimised parameters are determined to be a thickness of 40 mm, 20 wt% of sand, and sand sizes of 750 μm. The findings of this study have important implications for the design and development of materials that can effectively withstand high-velocity impact, particularly in the field of military defence. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024.