Dynamic response of reinforced concrete sheds against the impact of rock block with different shapes and angles

Abstract

This study aimed to quantitatively identify the influence of the block impact angle and block shape on the impact effect of reinforced concrete (RC) sheds. The smooth particle hydrodynamic (SPH) method and finite element method (FEM) were coupled and used to solve the simulation difficulty of large deformation of the sand buffer layer in the RC shed. SPH was used to simulate the sand buffer layer in the impact area that experienced large deformation. Concrete, reinforced, bedrock, block and sand buffer layer in the non-impact area were simulated by FEM. The accuracy of the coupled model was verified by the full-scale test data. Finally, the impact forces and the dynamic responses of the RC shed were analyzed, focusing on the effects of the block impact angle and shape. The numerical results show that the coupled SPH-FEM method is effective for simulating how block impacts the RC shed. The block impact angle and shape can significantly influence the normal and tangential impact forces. The design of the RC shed based on the assumption of blocks as free-falling spherical projectiles can lead to inaccuracy in some impact scenarios, and an appropriate correction was put forward in available empirical calculating formulae to include the effect of the irregular shape and impact angle of the block. The sand buffer layer dissipates a large part of the energy, which accounts for at least 58% of the initial impact energy.