Optimized Design of Foam Cladding for Protection of Reinforced Concrete Members under Blast Loading

Abstract

AbstractA load-cladding-structure (LCS) model was used to study the mitigating effect provided by metallic foam cladding against blast loading on reinforced concrete (RC) structural members. The model considered the interactions between an external blast load, a protecting foam cladding, and a target RC structural member. The effectiveness of the LCS model was validated by field blast tests conducted in 2009. The validated model was then used to derive pressure impulse diagrams of the foam-protected RC members. Afterwards, two nondimensional parameters representing the relationship between the foam cladding and the target RC member were characterized. Using the suggested nondimensional parameters, normalized pressure-impulse (p−i) diagrams for the foam-protected RC members were generated. The effects of the two nondimensional parameters on the p−i diagrams were investigated by comparing the corresponding asymptotes. Based on the predicted results, an optimized design of the foam cladding for RC structural...