Experimental and numerical study on static and dynamic axial crushing of square aluminum tubes: Effects of cutouts

The collapse of tubes under axial load is an important subject from the safety point of view, particularly in the design of energy absorbing devices used in many engineering applications. In this study, quasi-static and dynamic experiments were carried out on square thin-walled aluminum extrusions to investigate the effects of circular holes. Cutouts were introduced in the four corners of the square-section tube, not far from the end boundary of the tube, in order both to decrease the first peak load on the load-displacement characteristic and to control the collapse mode. Different aspects, such as the buckling modes and the energy absorption in quasi-static axial crushing tests, as well as dynamic effects and material rheology contributions in dynamic crushing tests, have been examined. For the dynamic tests, the parameters were the impacting mass and its velocity. The results showed a drop in the first peak function of the openings’ radius and the tube’s energy absorption capacity was kept. A comparison between static and dynamic tests results was carried out and the interpretation of the results in terms of deformation mechanism and energy absorption was discussed. Numerical simulations with the finite element code ABAQUS were conducted to confirm the experimental findings. The results of different numerical models, implicit and explicit calculations, that contribute to a basic understanding of the buckling and prediction of the crash behavior of the aluminum components without and with the cutouts are presented.

Dynamic mechanical properties of hybrid fiber reinforced concrete

In this study, the dynamic mechanical properties of hybrid fiber reinforced concrete (HFRC) are analyzed with respect to failure mode, dynamic increase factor (DIF), and peak strain by means of a SHPB testing apparatus. The factors that influence the dynamic mechanical properties include fiber type and fiber content. It is concluded that the best dynamic mechanical properties of fibers are CS-PHFRC at medium and low strain rates and AS-PHFRC at a high strain rate. Within a certain range, the higher the fiber content is, the larger the DIF of the corresponding HFRC and the more obvious the increase in dynamic compressive strength. AS-CSHFRC improves the dynamic compressive deformability of the HFRC. The polypropylene fiber causes plasticity, as shown in the failure mode of concrete. The Ottosen nonlinear elastic model, modified by introducing the damage factor, can better describe the dynamic mechanical properties of HFRC.

Dynamic bearing capacity of point fixed corrugated metal profile sheets subjected to blast loading

Blast loading scenarios and the corresponding hazards have to be evaluated for infrastructure elements and buildings especially at industrial sites for safety and security issues. Point fixed corrugated metal sheets are often applied as façade elements and can become a hazard for humans if they are pulled off. This paper investigates the dynamic bearing capacity of such structural members in terms of their general bending behavior in the middle of the span and pull-out behaviors at the fixing points. The elements are fixed at two sides and the load transfer is uniaxial. An experimental series with static and dynamic tests forms the basis to identify the predominant failure modes and to quantify the maximum stress values that can be absorbed until the investigated structural members fail. The experimental findings are applied to create and to optimize an engineering model for the fast and effective assessment of the structural response. The aim is the derivation of a validated model which is capable to predict the blast loading behavior of metal sheets including arbitrary dimensions, material properties, and screw connections. Results of this study can be integrated into a systematic risk and resilience management process to assess expected damage effects and the evaluation of robustness.

Safety assessment method of steel protective structure against large-scale debris flow

Recently, steel pipe open type protective structures (steel open dams) have been damaged because of large-scale debris flow resulting from torrential rainfall based on abnormal climate. This article proposes a safety assessment method for the load-carrying capacity of a steel open dam against large-scale debris flow load (level II load) using the energy constant law. First, the safety assessment method of steel open dams is proposed that the ultimate strength must be larger than the required strength against the level II load, which is determined by using the energy constant law. Second, the load-carrying capacities of three types of steel open dams with different structural shapes against the front and eccentric debris flow loadings are investigated by a push-over analysis. Finally, the safety assessments on load-carrying capacities against the front and eccentric debris flow loading are confirmed and the strength reduction by the eccentric loading is examined for three steel open dams.

Blast mitigation using polymeric 3D printed auxetic re-entrant honeycomb structures: A preliminary study

Protection of critical infrastructure in an urban environment is a challenging task, specifically against the vehicle bourne improvised explosive device threat. To design infrastructure to withstand this evolving threat, novel solutions and advanced materials need to be developed. One such material of interest are auxetics. This study experimentally analysed the mitigation of blast response of auxetic re-entrant honeycomb structures, with geometries varying between −ve 30° and +ve 30° using additive manufacturing (3D printing) techniques and non-explosive loading via shock tube. Re-entrant auxetic structures (−ve 15°) exhibited repeatable blast mitigation of 23% and reduced the transmitted pressure and impulse of the blast wave. Further highlighting their potential application as a protective measure to enhance a structures blast survivability.

Evaluation and comparison of concrete constitutive models in numerical simulation of reinforced concrete slabs under blast load

Numerical models have been used recently to analyze concrete structures subjected to high-impulsive loads. A material model that can well capture the mechanical behaviors is crucial to obtain reliable results. Present study, focused on reinforced concrete slab as a major load carrying element of the RC structures under blast loading. By performing several simulations in popular and powerful concrete constitutive models, including concrete damage R3, HJC, CSCM, and Winfrith the accuracy of these models was investigated. Maximum deflections have been compared with each other and expanded further to compare with experiments. Result showed all models have an acceptable accuracy in estimating maximum slab deflection. Concrete Damage R3 presented the highest accuracy. HJC has the second rank and CSCM and Winfrith have the third and the fourth places, respectively. HJC needed the minimum computation time. CSCM had minimum input parameters but includes maximum calculation time. Winfrith had the lowest accuracy, however this model presented very conservative results. Uniaxial compressive and tensile stress-strain curves showed that the models which presented higher values of strength, evaluated lower maximum values of deflection.

Air-blast and ground shockwave parameters, shallow underground blasting, on the ground and buried shallow underground blast-resistant shelters: A review

Weak political systems and poor governance in certain developing countries are found to have a war-like environment where structures are being targeted by blasts and bombs. Industrial blasts due to frail know-how and mishandlings are also quite common. Recent accidental explosions like that occurred at the Beirut Port, Lebanon (August 2020); ammunition depot in the outskirt of the Ryazan City of Russia (November 2020) are of concern for the safety of adjacent building infrastructure and their users. Such intense loading events cause damage to certain elements of a structure which may result in disproportionate or progressive collapse. It necessitates a clear understanding of the phenomenon of the blast and extreme loads induced out of it, and response of the target structure under such loadings. In this study, the state of research on air-blast and ground shockwave parameters, shallow underground blasting, and on the ground and buried shallow blast-resistant shelters are presented. The phenomenon of the self-Mach-reflection of the explosion, loading parameters and empirical blast models available in the open literature followed by the damage criteria for the buildings subjected to the underground blasting and available peak particle velocity (PPV) prediction models have been discussed. To make the application of advanced materials such as fibrous concrete, ultra-high performance concrete, FRP composites, etc., it is important to comprehend the existing blast/shock-resistant shelters and their response under such loading. The shelters are primarily designed by incorporating features of the materials like high degree of deformability/ductility, use of the shock-isolation panels and the mechanism for controlling crack formations. Finally, conclusions and recommendations for future studies are summarised. This paper presents prospects to engineers, town planners, researchers, policymakers and members of the core drafting sectional committees to understand the phenomenon of the blast and extreme loads induced out of it.

Simulation of projectile impact on steel plate-lined, reinforced concrete panels using the smooth particle hydrodynamics formulation

Data from the Tsubota et al. (1993) experiments provided the basis for a numerical study that investigated the impact response of steel-plate lined, reinforced concrete panels using the SPH formulation in LS-DYNA. The simulated tests involved 50 mm (1.97 in), 70 mm (2.76 in), and 90 mm (3.54 in) thick reinforced concrete (RC) panels with steel liners and one 50-mm thick benchmark RC panel. Three of the five panels had a steel liner attached to the back face and one had a steel liner on both faces. The panels were normally impacted by a 39.6 mm (1.56 in) diameter projectile at a velocity of 170 m/s (6693 in/s). Reasonable predictions of observed damage, including perforation, liner fracture or bulging, and concrete scabbing were achieved using the MAT072R3 concrete material model. The effectiveness of adding steel liners to a concrete panel to prevent perforation and scabbing resulting from projectile impact was investigated using the numerical model and MAT072R3. Installing a steel liner on the back face of a panel, with a reinforcement ratio equal to that of the internal reinforcement, is an effective method to mitigate scabbing but has little effect on perforation resistance.

Simplified calculation of airblast variability and reliability-based design load factors for spherical air burst and hemispherical surface burst explosions

There can be significant uncertainty and variability with explosive blast loading. Standards and codes of practice are underpinned by reliability-based principles, and there is little reason not to apply these to explosive blast loading. This paper develops a simplified approach where regression equations may be used to predict the probabilistic model of airblast variability and associated reliability-based design load factors (or RBDFs) for all combinations of range, explosive mass and model errors. These models are applicable to (i) hemispherical surface bursts, and (ii) spherical free-air bursts. The benefit of this simplified approach is that the equations can be easily programed into a spreadsheet, computer code or other numerical methods. There is no need for any Monte-Carlo or other probabilistic calculations. Examples then illustrate how model error, range and explosive mass uncertainty and variability affect the variability of pressure and impulse, which in turn affect the damage assessment of residential construction.

Experimental investigations of the response of a portable container to blast, fragmentation, and thermal effects of energetic materials detonation

The detonation of an energetic material (EM) is manifested in the form of blast wave, fragmentation of casing material, and thermal effects. These effects are very destructive and cause injuries-being fatal-and structural damage as well. The attenuation of these effects is a prime focus. C4 explosive weighing 104 g was tested as surface burst. Peak overpressures of 1362 kPa and fireball radius of 0.65 m were measured. A multi-layer container comprised steel liner, Kevlar woven fabric, and laminated glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) was developed and investigated to counter the combined blast, fragmentation, and thermal effects of EM detonation. Commercially available shaving foam was characterized and used as filling material inside the container. The foam bubbles have shown a good stability with time. The shaving foam quenched the fireball and afterburning reactions owing to rapid heat and momentum transfer mechanism. The containment system provided more than 80% overpressure reduction with respect to an equivalent open-air detonation and also restricted any escape to lateral directions. Coupled Euler-ALE (Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian) approach was employed to numerically simulate the blast wave parameters. A good agreement is obtained between the simulation and experimental results.