Comparison of predicted and experimental behaviour of rc slabs subjected to blast using SDOF analysis

Abstract

Explosions emanating from terrorist attacks or military weapons cause damage to civilian and military facilities. Understanding the mechanical behaviour of reinforced concrete structures subjected to blast is of paramount importance for minimizing the possible blast damage. A full-scale experimental program consisting of six reinforced concrete slabs with compressive strengths of 60 MPa, 50 MPa and 40 MPa, measuring 1.0 m × 1.0 m × 0.08 m, and subjected to 2.7 kg of non-confined plastic bonded explosive, was conducted in blast test area of Science and Technology Aerospace Department (Brazilian Air Force). This paper compares experimentally measured peak displacement values with theoretical values. Theoretical analysis was carried out using single degree of freedom (SDOF) models. The comparison showed that SDOF analysis worked very well in predicting the reinforced concrete slab peak displacement against blast effects. Qualitative analysis after the experiments showed that the blast wave shape generated by the cylindrical explosive was not uniformly distributed on the slabs for the standoff distance of 0.927 m/kg13.