Experimental & computational structural analysis of masonry panels subject to long duration blast loading

Abstract

Even in simple, quasi-static cases, blast and its interaction with structures is a complex phenomenon. Long duration blast, defined for the purposes of this research as a blast event with a positive phase duration in excess of 100ms, increases this complexity due to not only the persistent effects of the static blast overpressure, but also the dynamic pressure associated with drag wind trailing the shock front. Brittle materials such as concrete and masonry produce large numbers of initial fragments, which when caught in the drag wind produce substantial debris distributions, presenting a number of potential hazards ranging from infrastructure obstruction to personal injury.

This research investigates the effects of long duration blast loading of masonry structures, using a modular 'Base Panel' approach to describe structures as a composition of simple panels. Five experimental blast trials were conducted, testing a total of 22 masonry structures against varying blast parameters. The results showed correlations between both the breakage and debris distributions with respect to panel geometry. Computational Fluid Dynamics and the Applied Element Method were used to model the experimental trials, with the results showing good agreement offering a promising modelling platform for future work. The results, both experimental and computational, demonstrate the 'Base Panel' approach to be an effective tool for the prediction of masonry debris distribution.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Simon Clubley: orcid.org/0000-0003-3779-242X

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