Blast Resistance and Structural Response of Concrete Structures
Summary
Concrete structures are vulnerable to extreme loading when exposed to explosions in military, industrial or terrorist scenarios. Blast resistance encompasses both the ability to withstand shock-wave overpressures and to dissipate energy through controlled deformation and fragmentation. Key mitigation strategies include optimised material selection, geometric design and reinforcement detailing to reduce global collapse, local perforation and spalling. Advances in explicit finite-element modelling, particularly coupled Euler–Lagrange formulations, enable prediction of pressure distributions, impulse transfer and failure modes across scales. Experimental techniques—such as Hopkinson pressure bar measurements and high-speed digital image correlation—validate computational frameworks and inform constitutive models for concrete and composite reinforcements. Retrofitting approaches, including external fibre-reinforced polymer wraps and perforated steel plate systems, enhance ductility and energy absorption. The application of similarity laws and scaled-distance principles facilitates the transfer of laboratory findings to full-scale structures. Integrating insights on strain-rate sensitivity, material heterogeneity and multi-hazard interactions into design codes underpins the development of resilient infrastructure for civil engineering, security applications and rapid post-damage assessment.
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Blast Resistance and Structural Response of Concrete Structures publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in blast resistance and structural response of concrete structures across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Blast wave: A high-pressure shock front generated by an explosive detonation, characterised by a sudden rise in pressure and subsequent decay phase.
Specific impulse: The impulse per unit area imparted by the blast wave, integrating pressure over time and governing momentum transfer to a structure.
Spalling: The process by which surface layers of concrete are ejected or fracture under high tensile stresses induced by reflected shock waves.
Fluid–structure interaction: The coupled dynamic behaviour between expanding blast gases (fluid) and a structural element, crucial for accurate simulation of load transmission.
Reinforced concrete: A composite material in which steel rebars or fibre-based reinforcements are embedded in concrete to improve tensile strength and ductility.
References
- Analytical and numerical study of concrete slabs reinforced by steel rebars and perforated steel plates under blast loading. Results in Engineering (2023).
- Numerical and experimental study of externally reinforced RC slabs using FRPs subjected to close-in blast loads.. International Journal of Impact Engineering (2021).
- Nonlinear dynamic behavior of simply-supported RC beams subjected to combined impact-blast loading. Engineering Structures (2019).
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