Numerical Investigation of Structural Response of Corrugated Blast Wall Depending on Blast Load Pulse Shapes

Abstract

Hydrocarbon explosions are one of most hazardous events for workers on offshore platforms. To protect structures against explosion loads, corrugated blast walls are typically installed. However, the profiles of real explosion loads are quite different depending on the congestion and confinement of Topside structures. As the level of congestion and confinement increases, the explosion load increases by up to 8 bar, and the rising time of the load decreases. This study primarily aims to investigate the structural behavior characteristics of corrugated blast walls under different types of explosion loadings. Four loading shapes were applied in the structural response analysis, which utilized a dynamic nonlinear finite element method.

Structural response of corrugated plates under blast loading: The influence of the pressure-time history

“…Their work has shown that the structural resistance is dependent on the combination of peak pressure and impulse applied to the structure. Sohn and Kim [5] explored the structural behaviour of corrugated blast walls under four different explosion loading shapes (rectangular, triangular, gradually applied and linearly decaying) and obtained results that indicate that the ductility ratio (the ratio of the maximum deflection and the deflection at the elastic limit) increases when higher pressures and longer pulse times are applied. Additionally, the effect of the natural period is reduced when higher pressures and impulses are observed.…”