Explosions are an ever-present risk to laminates used in naval ships, submarines and offshore oil/gas platforms that are immersed in seawater. This study determines whether the absorption of water by a carbon fibre laminate changes its deformation response and damage resistance when impulsive loaded by an explosive blast. The stiffness and strength properties of the laminate were reduced with increasing immersion time in seawater up to and beyond the point of saturation. Explosive blast tests of increasing shock wave impulse were performed on the laminate before immersion and when in the saturated and beyond saturated conditions. Softening and weakening of the laminate caused by absorbed water reduced the resistance against deformation and damage when subjected to an explosive blast. The amount of blast-induced damage to the laminate increased with the immersion time in seawater due to plasticisation of the polymer matrix and weakening of the fibre–matrix interphase region.

对于浸没在海水中的海军舰艇，潜艇和海上石油/天然气平台中使用的层压板而言，爆炸是永远存在的风险。这项研究确定了碳纤维层压板对水的吸收是否会在爆炸爆炸的脉冲载荷下改变其变形响应和抗破坏性。随着在海水中达到和超过饱和点的浸泡时间的增加，层压板的刚度和强度特性会降低。在浸没之前以及在饱和和超过饱和条件下，对层压板进行爆炸冲击试验，以增加冲击波的冲击力。由吸收的水引起的层压板的软化和弱化会降低其在爆炸性冲击下的抗变形性和抗破坏性。