Innovative Material for Protection of Reinforced Concrete Structures against Close Range Detonation

Abstract

Mitigation techniques are continuously being developed to ensure public safety in the event of intentional or accidental explosions. Building material fragmentation is a major cause of human injury during such events. One of the most common methods of construction in buildings is the use of reinforced concrete material. Reinforced concrete structures are extremely susceptible to producing airborne debris that might cause severe injury to occupants or damage sensitive equipment housed within the building. Slurry Infiltrated Micro-Reinforced Concrete (SIMRC) is a new and innovative Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC). The material consist of three dimensional mat system made from multiple layers of fine wire mesh infiltrated with a high-strength, self consolidating slurry. The slurry consists of Portland cement, supplemental cementitious materials, sand, and admixtures. The resulting product has an average compressive strength of 137 MPa (20 ksi), an average tensile strength of 20 MPa (2.9 ksi) and average shear strength of 15 MPa (2.2 ksi). It has a flexural strength and ductile performance that resembles steel. Detailed three-dimensional finite element models were generated using the explicit finite element software LS-DYNA. The finite element simulations are used to investigate the applicability of this material to various structural details and blast scenarios. This paper will present the analytical simulations, experimental testing and the uses of SIMRC for blast protection.