Study on mechanism of explosive fragments absorbed by vessel protective tank

Vessel protective tank is the most significance device protecting the vessel from damage due to explosive fragments. The absorption process can be divided into four stages, and velocity attenuation of the fragment is analyzed. Influences of a bulkhead, submerged in water or in the air, on the damage are compared, and energy conversion performances at various fragment velocities are analyzed. It is concluded that the fragments with bigger mass and higher velocity are absorbed more significantly; deformation mechanism of the front and back bulkheads is membrane stress; most energy of the fragment is transformed to kinetic energy and internal energy of water, and the proportion of internal energy will increase with the increase of fragment velocity.