Blast mitigation effect of the layered concrete structure with an air gap: A numerical approach

Abstract

A novel layered concrete structure with an air gap was proposed to resist explosion attacks from terrorist bombings or conventional weapons. The proposed layered structure potentially benefits mitigating the blast wave induced from detonation in the predamaged concrete shelter layer by projectile penetration, because the wave impedance between air and concrete material is far different. To quantitatively evaluate the blast mitigation effects and reveal the blast-resistant mechanism, a fine numerical model of the proposed layered structure was built in LS-DYNA, in which trinitrotoluene explosive was detonated in predamaged concrete shelter at different depths. The developed model was validated by field tests of concrete slab under contact explosion. Failure mode of concrete shelter and pressure time histories on the protective structure layer were captured and compared. The distinct blast mitigation effect of the proposed layered structure was demonstrated. A parametric study on the perforation limit, height, and residual depth of concrete shelter was also performed. The calculated results revealed that trinitrotoluene explosive detonated at the impact perforation limit of concrete shelter by projectile penetration is a dangerous critical condition that may cause negative effects on blast mitigation. The blast mitigation rates can always exceed 99%, as long as the concrete shelter is not blasted to perforation. A fitting formula to obtain a higher blast mitigation rate in guiding the design of a layered concrete structure with an air gap was put forward.