Transient response and failure of medium density fibreboard panels subjected to air-blast loading

This paper presents insights into the response and failure of medium density fibreboard (MDF) panels subjected to air-blast loading. The MDF panels are representative of a cheap, and potentially sustainable, structural material that is commonly used in homes and buildings. Simplified computational simulations were used to design a series of air-blast experiments to elucidate a range of responses and failures within the MDF. The blast-loaded MDF panels exhibited multiple surface cracks, substantial in-plane cracking throughout the less dense parts of the cross-section, and fragmentation failures. The transient results show MDF exhibits peak displacement that are many times greater than the permanent deformation, and that the internal damage due to cracking reduced the stiffness of the panels. These findings provide unique and detailed insights into the cracking and fragmentation of MDF that will prove valuable to blast protection engineers considering the effects of explosive detonations inside buildings containing MDF furnishings, and any increased risk of secondary blast injuries due to flying MDF debris. The experimental data can be used by modellers to validate simulations of damage due to explosive events in the future.