THE ROLE OF METAMATERIALS IN PROTECTING SHIP EQUIPMENT FROM UNDERWATER EXPLOSION SHOCK

The dynamic response of marine structures to underwater explosions (UNDEX) is essential for ensuring operational safety and structural integrity. Non-contact UNDEX events produce shock waves and bubble oscillations, which generate vibrations that propagate through a ship's hull, affecting the performance and reliability of onboard equipment. This study investigates the frequency response of equipment mounted on a patrol vessel subjected to non-contact UNDEX scenarios. A coupled acoustic-structural numerical approach, implemented in ABAQUS CAE, is used to predict the transient response and the induced vibrations of conventional resilient mountings. To overcome the limitations of traditional anti-shock and anti-vibration systems, an Acoustic Black Hole (ABH)-based metamaterial is proposed and designed to enhance vibration mitigation. Comparative analyses are performed between the traditional mounting system and the ABH-based metamaterial configuration. The findings indicate that the ABH-based metamaterial shows a non-negligible improvement over conventional solutions in reducing structure-borne vibrations, emphasizing the need for further investigations to fully assess its potential for applications in marine engineering.