International Standards for Blast Resistant Glazing

Abstract

Abstract Glass fragments are a prime source of injury to occupants of buildings subjected to an explosive event. Health and safety considerations and the principles of a “reasonable duty of care” impose requirements on employers and on the designers and managers of buildings. Two International Standards have been prepared for the test and classification of “Glass in building—Explosion resistant security glazing.” These incorporate three test regimes. One standard employs a shock tube method to simulate the blast from large vehicle bombs. The other standard involves two categories of arena tests using live explosives at varying distances. One test series uses small, hand-carried charges of up to 20 kg weight and the other is based upon the blast from 100 kg TNT equivalent vehicle bomb charges, where TNT refers to trinitrotoluene. The three test regimes and classifications are described and compared. The paper demonstrates how the Standards will facilitate the specification, design, and testing of glass and complete glazing systems having compositions from antishatter film applications through to thick and bullet resistant laminated glass. The tests are appropriate for other building components and the Standards will offer a valuable tool to provide safer buildings with blast resistance for protection or hazard reduction.