10 September 2024 13h30-14h30
Georgios Kechagiadakis
In the wake of increasing global security challenges, the need for advanced research into the dynamics of blast effects and protective structures has never been more critical. Over the past decades, the escalation in asymmetric warfare and terrorism has exposed the vulnerabilities of both military and civilian infrastructures to explosive threats. These evolving threats call for the development of sophisticated protective measures capable of mitigating the devastating impacts of blasts and projectiles.
Current methodologies treat these two aspects as distinct problems that must be studied separately. This simplification assumes that the combined effect of these loads is negligible, which has been proven incorrect. The Blast & Impact Protection Research Unit has therefore developed a repeatable, controlled, and validated experimental methodology and set-up for testing protective materials/clothing/structures under the combined effects of blast and fragment impact loading.