Behaviours of reinforced concrete slabs under static loads and high-mass low velocity impact loads

Abstract

This paper examines a progression of experimental studies designed to investigate the response of reinforced concrete slabs subjected to static and high-mass low-velocity impact loads. A total of ten reinforced concrete slabs were tested: three specimens were tested under static load by loading the specimens at their mid-point, and seven specimens were tested under impact load to research the high-mass, low-velocity impact behaviours of reinforced concrete slabs using a drop-weight facility. Measurements methods included a load cell, acceleration, strain in the reinforcement steel and a laser sensor to measure deflection in the centre and various quarters of the slabs (LVDT). The experimental variables included in this study focused mainly on the thickness of slab under static and impact loads, the mass of the striking object, and the height of the striking object for impact loads.The results showed that under static loads, the mean of the thickness of the slab increased by 33 to 100%, the maximum deflection at the central point decreased by 45 to 63 %, and the load capacity of the slabs increased by 77 to 265%. With respect to high-mass low-velocity impact loads, as the slab thickness increase by 33to 100%, the maximum deflection at the centre of the slabs decreased by 47.7 to 84 % and the impact force increased by 37.5 to 102%. When the height of the striking object was increased by 33 to 66%, the maximum central deflection of the slabs also increased by 24 to 72.3%, and the impact loads increased by 11 to 23.3%. Increases in the mass of the striking object by 50 to 100% led to the maximum central deflection of the slabs increasing by about 54 to 122% and to the impact loads increasing by 13 to 18.6%.