General Update of the ASCE Report: Design of Blast Resistant Buildings in Petrochemical Facilities

Abstract

In response to input from individuals and companies in the petrochemical industry, in 1995 the ASCE Petrochemical Committee established several task committees for the purpose of developing and publishing design information on current practice. Five specific subjects were deemed to be of the greatest interest to the petrochemical community; anchor bolt embedment, secondary containment, seismic design, wind loading, and blast resistant design. The task committee on blast resistant design was then formed with membership representing design engineers, blast design specialists, owner companies, and product manufacturers. The task committee spent two years preparing a state-of-the-practice report that was published in 1997. The report was prepared based on the expressed need for more uniform design information to protect against the effects of accidental industrial explosions. Since its publication, the report has been widely accepted throughout the petrochemical structural engineering community, and is considered a significant reference for the blast resistant design community in general. In 2005, the Petrochemical Committee felt that an update to several of the 1997 reports was needed in order to address recent technical advances. The reports selected for update were anchor bolt embedment, wind loading, seismic design, and blast resistant design. Thus the task committee on blast resistant design was reformed. The previous representative mix of design engineers, blast design specialists, owner companies, and product manufacturers was again pursued and obtained. Several members from the original committee also served on the new committee and provided a degree of continuity. The task committee first met in January 2006 and completed its work in January 2008. The basis of the updated report, to promote the use of uniform design information in order to protect against the effects of accidental industrial explosions, was retained. Significant elements of the original report, such as the basic procedure (Figure 1), use of simplified design methods including empirical load determination, response charts, numerical integration, and SDOF equivalent response calculations, were retained. Much original information from TM 5-1300 (Structures to Resist the Effects of Accidental Explosions) was also retained. The report continues to emphasize the use of design examples to illustrate the proper implementation of design methods. The updated report incorporates errata discovered from the previous report. A number of sections were edited for greater clarity and understanding. Updated design standards were incorporated such as ACI 318-05, Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete, and AISC 360-05, Specification for Structural Steel Buildings. Updated blast design references were also considered including PDC-TR 06-08, Single Degree of Freedom Structural Response Limits for Antiterrorism Design, the ASCE blast standard currently in progress, and API RP 753, Management of Hazards Associated with Location of Process Plant Portable Buildings.