Experimental and Numerical Investigation on the Impact Response of Elastomer-Coated Concrete

Abstract

The use of a spray application elastomer coating as an effective retrofit strategy for blast and impact mitigation has gained increasing attention in recent years. Despite some encouraging studies in the literature, there remains a great deal yet to be understood, particularly regarding the coating's impact mitigating capabilities when applied to structural elements. In this work, we consider the application of a spray-on elastomer coating to the impacted face of a concrete cube. High-speed, gas gun experiments are performed on concrete cubes in their uncoated and coated configurations and it is observed that the coating provides a significant protective benefit across the range of test velocities, 45-150 m/s. Quasi-static compression and indentation experimental tests are performed on uncoated and coated concrete cubes to inform the development of a numerical model. Despite a number of modelling challenges, we validate our model against experimental measurements and conclude it provides accurate predictions of behaviour at early time steps, before the concrete becomes severely damaged. Future work will focus on using this validated numerical model as an analysis tool for understanding the mechanism by which the elastomer alters the damage response of the underlying concrete substrate.

Impact mitigating capabilities of a spray-on elastomer coating applied to concrete

“…We choose the same Concrete Damaged Plasticity (CDP) model employed in [6] and [7], and which is available in Abaqus/Explicit [21]. The concrete is modelled as a homogeneous continuum that exhibits isotropic, damaged elasticity and isotropic, pressure-dependent plasticity.…”

“…These damage parameters are defined to evolve as a function of inelastic strain,˜ in c and cracking displacement, u ck t , respectively, according to the relationship proposed by Birtel and Mark [31]. A table of the key user-defined parameters for implementation of this concrete model are presented in Appendix C. Further details are provided in [6] and [7].…”

“…Most studies to date have tended to focus on the mitigating capabilities of such coatings in response to blast pressure pulses. Promising results have been reported for coatings applied to masonry [1,2], steel [3,4] and reinforced concrete [5][6][7] substrates. However, relatively few investigations have been performed to assess the influence of an elastomer coating on the damage due to fragment impact.…”