Behavior of Normal and High Strength Reinforced Concrete Structures under Blast Loading.

Abstract

Explosions near buildings can cause catastrophic damages and can cause injuries and loss of life to the occupants of these buildings. Experiments on explosions can be very expensive, dangerous and time consuming compared to simulation using suitable software. This study aims at modeling and analyzing a reinforced concrete structure under blast loading using finite element software LS-DYNA. The verification of the developed model was carried out by comparing the results of deflection and spalling with those obtained by reliable field experimental tests. The verification process indicated a close agreement between the obtained results of the model and those obtained from the actual experiments. The material models of concrete and steel were carefully chosen to represent the actual behavior of both materials. The concrete and the steel reinforcement were modeled using LS-DYNA software as solid elements. Concrete was modeled using a continuous cap material model. The steel rebar was modeled using a material model with plastic deformation and strain rate effects. The penalty method was used for linking the concrete and the steel reinforcement joints. The blast was modeled using an empirical method that yielded a very good results. The developed model was utilized to study the effect of blast loading on a square 3 m single story building, where the blast was located in the middle of the building and 1 m away of the building side. The model was analyzed for 2 milliseconds. The effect of increasing concrete strength was studied. The effect of changing the blast location on the behavior of the structure was also investigated.