Performance assessment of reinforced Concrete column and slab subjected To blast load using numerical analysis

Abstract

Accidental explosions and premeditated attacks on structures over the last decades have served as a call to action for building owners, governments and design professionals alike to pay more attention to the susceptibility and survivability of structures subjected to blast loading. High profile buildings, monuments, buildings in proximity to explosive manufacturing and storage facilities, and other critical structural systems have a high probability of exposure to the threats of both extremist attacks and accidental explosions. The rise in the number of blast events in world over the past few decades has led to growing concerns about analyzing the blast performance of buildings. The blast load in structure occurs in two forms i.e. air blast and blast induced ground excitation. As the explosion occurs above the surface, the blast waves compress the air and propagate towards the structure, whereas the ground excitation is induced due to explosion occurs below the surface of the earth. In framed RC structures, the structural members like column, beam, and slab are the key load bearing elements and columns are the most susceptible structural components under blast load. The failure of RC columns due to air blast might lead to progressive collapse of buildings. Though the event may not be common, it cannot be ignored from safety aspects and threat point of view. To reduce the impact of blast load over buildings, various methods and strategies adopted so far. However, uncertainties in reducing the blast responses of buildings are still existing in design of protective structures. Here in the study various strategies and techniques have been attempted to quantify the performance of structural members such as columns and slabs subjected to air blast load. Analytical and Numerical method of blast analysis was adopted by most of the previous researches as it is safe, economical and the results are reliable over experimental methods. A high fidelity physics based computer program, LS-DYNA is used in the present study to render numerical simulations of the columns and slabs subjected to air blast newline newline newline