Blast Resistance Assessment of Concrete Wall Panels: Experimental and Numerical Investigations

Abstract

The cladding system of a building is crucial for protecting people and equipment against external explosions. Both experimental and numerical investigations are carried out in order to evaluate the resistance of precast concrete cladding wall panels against man-made attacks. The cladding system under investigation is a precast concrete wall panel for using in police station facilities that particularly need to be protected against man-made or subversive attacks. A total of three precast concrete cladding wall panels are studied. The panels are 3500 mm long and 1500 mm wide; and one is 150 mm thick while the other two are 200 mm thick. The longitudinal reinforcement consists of a single layer of reinforcement bars located in the middle of the cross section. The blast demand is due to the detonation of 3.5 and 5.5 kg of TNTeq, and the numerical simulations are carried out using the finite element software LS-Dyna©. Details of the experimental and numerical investigations are shown, and a discussion on the obtained results is provided.

Assessment Method for Combined Structural and Energy Retrofitting in Masonry Buildings

“…The correct maintenance of their thermal and mechanical properties is crucial: indeed, each construction is subjected to the continuous degradation of structural and energy performance due to environmental actions, anthropic actions, and endogenous ageing (continuous degradation). In addition, they can be affected by episodic events like fire [1], explosions [2][3][4], and seismic actions [5][6][7] or other phenomena like deliberate attacks or human errors (discontinuous degradation). These events can sharply reduce the structural or energy performances of building and their service life.…”

Integrated Approach for Post-fire Reinforced Concrete Structures Assessment

“…Both ends of each column were considered constrained and not exposed to fire, and variations in their centre-of-gravity position considered negligible. Concerning the central columns (8 and 5), it was possible to record the whole perimeter, while in the case of lateral columns (4,6,7,9), only one side was exposed to the fire and consequently recorded. In the latter case, the centre-of-gravity position was determined considering design characteristics for the other 3 sides.…”

“…If the fire is followed or anticipated by an explosion, materials and structures are pushed to the limit. Indeed, the material constitutive laws are strongly modified by the joint effects of strain rate (see [6][7][8]) and of temperature (see [9][10]). …”

Optimal Shape of Truss Structures Supporting Protective Walls

“…The effect of the dynamic load induced by the shock wave on the protective walls is reported in [2], [3]. In [2], certain experiments are carried out and the results are compared with the numerical treatment suggested in the paper; in [3], the effect of a sudden change of temperature induced by the explosion is also considered as an additional load of the structure.…”