LS-DYNA
LS-DYNA is a general-purpose transient dynamic finite element program capable of simulating complex real-world problems involving large deformations. LS-DYNA is the industry standard for analyzing structures subjected to short duration loads and significant geometric nonlinearities. Capabilities include fully Eulerian simulations, ALE, coupled Lagrangian-Eulerian and SPH. An extensive library of material models is available.
Protection Engineering Consultants routinely employs LS-DYNA for design, analysis and simulation. Code is utilized for predicting blast loads, mechanical structure performance, blast and structure interaction, and human injury due to blunt trauma. Representative problems include armored vehicle response and injury predictions for blast threats, vehicle impacts into countermobility barriers, locomotive collisions with shipping canisters for spent nuclear fuel, plane impact and explosive attack against reinforced concrete containers for nuclear rod assemblies, blast-loaded windows and frames, and progressive collapse in multi-story structures.
Quarter-symmetry simulation of the detonation process of an annulus of high-explosive material detonation
Blast-structure interaction, using fully coupled Lagrangian-Eulerian modeling, showing damage to concrete wall section (pink) due to air blast (red)
Protection Engineering Consultants personnel have used LS-DYNA for highly complex mechanical modeling problems as well, such as vehicular collisions. In work for previous employers, our team members have conducted numerical analyses for Sandia National Laboratories involving the impact of airplanes, locomotives, rail cars, and tractor trailers with spent nuclear fuel shipping and storage casks. During the transportation of spent nuclear fuel by truck and train, the possibility exists that a train could impact the spent fuel cask at a grade crossing. A numerical study to assess the possibility of cask breach or material release in the event of a high-speed, broadside locomotive collision was performed.
Waste transportation cask and locomotive impact,
simulated
and actual (Illustrations from Ammerman, Stevens, and Barsotti, 2005. "Numerical Analyses of Locomotive Impacts on a Spent Fuel Truck Cask and Trailer." Proceedings of PVP2005
2005 ASME Pressure Vessels and Piping Division Conference, July, 17-21, 2005, Denver, Colorado USA, PVP2005-71729)
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