Shock (Blast) Mitigation by "Soft" Condensed Matter

It is a common point that “soft” condensed matter (like granular materials or foams) can reduce damage caused by impact or explosion. It is attributed to their ability to absorb significant energy. This is certainly the case for a quasistatic type of deformation at low velocity of impact where such materials are widely used for packing of fragile devices. At the same time a mitigation of blast phenomena must take into account shock wave properties of “soft” matter which very often exhibit highly nonlinear, highly heterogeneous and dissipative behavior. This paper considers applications of “soft” condensed matter for blast mitigation using simplified approach, presents analysis of some anomalous effects and suggestions for future research in this exciting area.