Abstract
This paper presents the numerically modelled behavior of reinforced concrete sandwich panels (RCSPs) subjected to blast loads. The RCSPs were fabricated with an expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam core and spray-on reinforced concrete skins on both sides, similar to a ferrocement overlay. An experimental study on RCSPs under blast load was conducted by Abbas et al. [1]. The authors used qualitative fragility curves created through visual inspection to assess physical damage intensity at different scaled distances. This study was restricted to a specific test plan, and no quantitative data were collected. Experimentation of RCSPs subjected to blasts requires substantial resources and funds. To address these limitations, this study utilized the Abaqus software application to explore the behavior of RCSPs subjected to blast loads. The objective of this study is to develop a numerical simulation using finite element analysis (FEA) that can be extended to various geometries and/or load configurations to facilitate quantitative research in the future. The conventional weapons effects program (CONWEP) model was used to simulate explosions in Abaqus, and an explicit dynamic solver was used for the analysis. A concrete damage plasticity model is used to evaluate the conditions of the RCSPs. The findings of the practical damage assessment and FEA results of the FEA are compared favorably. Damage was measured as the percentage of the affected area. The absolute mean of the difference between the percent damage predicted and that observed practically (predicted – actual) for two out of the four panels was zero percent, while that for the other two panels was 2.75% and 1.75%, respectively. The overall mean difference in the simulation was 1.12%. The numerical study was further extended to an RCSPs’ structure to examine the response of the RCSPs as an assembly. This extended model successfully visualizes the pressure confinement phenomenon. The model showed satisfactory strength with respect to the blast load. This study supports the findings of Abbas et al., who recommended that RCSPs can be used in buildings as infill walls, which provide significant capabilities for absorbing and dissipating the energy produced by explosions. The numerical model presented herein can be used for future studies on RCSPs.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data Availability
Any or all of the data, models, or codes that support this study's conclusions can be obtained from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
References
Abbas A, Adil M, Ahmad N, Ahmad I (2019) Behavior of reinforced concrete sandwiched panels (RCSPs) under blast load. Eng Struct 181:476–490. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2018.12.051
Adil M (2010) Strength estimate methodologies for reinforced concrete sandwiched wall panels (RCSPs),” phd, University of Southampton, 2010. Accessed: May 13, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/466761/
Alfarah B, López-Almansa F, Oller S (2017) New methodology for calculating damage variables evolution in Plastic Damage Model for RC structures. Eng Struct 132:70–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2016.11.022
Benayoune A, Samad AAA, Trikha DN, Abang Ali AA, Ashrabov AA (2006) Structural behaviour of eccentrically loaded precast sandwich panels. Constr Build Mater 20(9):713–724. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2005.02.002
Benayoune A, Samad AAA, Abang Ali AA, Trikha DN (2007) Response of pre-cast reinforced composite sandwich panels to axial loading. Constr Build Mater 21(3):677–685. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2005.12.011
Benayoune A, Samad AAA, Trikha DN, Ali AAA, Ellinna SHM (2008) Flexural behaviour of pre-cast concrete sandwich composite panel – Experimental and theoretical investigations. Constr Build Mater 22(4):580–592. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2006.11.023
Caliskan U, Apalak MK (2020) Impact penetration and perforation performance of square sandwich panels with EPS foam core. Sādhanā 45(1):35. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12046-019-1253-3
Castellano A, Caltagirone J, Sock F, Dobbs N (1982) Structures to resist the effects of accidental explosions (TM 5-1300, NAVFAC P-397, AFM 88-22). Revision of Tri-Service Regulatory Design Manual. p 16
Chapman TC, Rose TA, Smith PD (1995) Blast wave simulation using AUTODYN2D: a parametric study. Int J Impact Eng 16(5):777–787. https://doi.org/10.1016/0734-743X(95)00012-Y
Cui X, Zhao L, Wang Z, Zhao H, Fang D (2012) Dynamic response of metallic lattice sandwich structures to impulsive loading. Int J Impact Eng 43:1–5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijimpeng.2011.11.004
Dear JP, Rolfe E, Kelly M, Arora H, Hooper PA (2017) Blast performance of composite sandwich structures. Procedia Eng 173:471–478. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2016.12.065
Draganić H, Varevac D, Lukić S (2018) An overview of methods for blast load testing and devices for pressure measurement. Adv Civ Eng 2018:e3780482. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/3780482
Einea A, Salmon DC, Fogarasi GJ, Culp TD, Tadros MK (1991) State-of-the-art of precast concrete sandwich panels. PCI J 36(6):78–98. https://doi.org/10.15554/pcij.11011991.78.98
Gara F, Ragni L, Roia D, Dezi L (2012) Experimental tests and numerical modelling of wall sandwich panels. Eng Struct 37:193–204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2011.12.027
Hafezolghorani M, Hejazi F, Vaghei R, Jaafar MSB, Karimzade K (2017) Simplified damage plasticity model for concrete. Struct Eng Int 27(1):68–78. https://doi.org/10.2749/101686616X1081
Karlsson HS (2002) ABAQUS/CAE User’s Manual. Hibbitt, Karlsson & Sorensen, Incorporated
Masi F (2017) Blast actions from high explosives. Studies on their simulation and effects. Eng Arch. https://doi.org/10.31224/osf.io/ekus8
Mendonça FB, Urgessa GS, Almeida LEN, Rocco JAFF (2021) Damage diagram of blast test results for determining reinforced concrete slab response for varying scaled distance, concrete strength and reinforcement ratio. An Acad Bras Ciênc 93:e20200511. https://doi.org/10.1590/0001-3765202120200511
Nwankwo (2013) EDynamic behaviour of blast loaded hybrid structural systems. doi: https://doi.org/10.25560/24426.
Pozorska J, Pozorski Z (2018) The comparison of numerical models of a sandwich panel in the context of the core deformations at the supports. AIP Conf Proc 1922(1):050007. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5019061
Prueter PE (2014) Using explicit finite element analysis to simulate blast loading on hazardous chemical storage tanks
Santosa SP, Arifurrahman F, Izzudin MH, Widagdo D, Gunawan L (2017) Response analysis of blast impact loading of metal-foam sandwich panels. Procedia Eng 173:495–502. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2016.12.073
Szczecina M, Winnicki A (2017) Relaxation time in CDP model used for analyses of RC structures. Procedia Eng 193:369–376. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2017.06.226
Temsah Y, Jahami A, Khatib J, Sonebi M (2018) Numerical analysis of a reinforced concrete beam under blast loading. MATEC Web Conf 149:02063. https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/201814902063
Thiagarajan S, Munusamy R (2022) Experimental and numerical study of composite sandwich panels for lightweight structural design. Int J Crashworthiness 27(3):747–758. https://doi.org/10.1080/13588265.2020.1838178
Wei X, Stewart MG (2010) Model validation and parametric study on the blast response of unreinforced brick masonry walls. Int J Impact Eng 37(11):1150–1159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijimpeng.2010.04.003
Wei Z, He MY, Evans AG (2006) Application of a dynamic constitutive law to multilayer metallic sandwich panels subject to impulsive loads. J Appl Mech 74(4):636–644. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2424471
Zakrisson B (2010) Numerical and experimental studies of blast loading. Doctoral dissertation, Luleå tekniska universitet
Zhu F, Lu G (2023) A Review of Blast and Impact of Metallic and Sandwich Structures. Accessed: May 13, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/A-Review-of-Blast-and-Impact-of-Metallic-and-Zhu-Lu/e16178183825c823b34a5f88e17a4f146a4476ef
Acknowledgements
The research presented herein is part of the authors' (Amir Hamza Khan, Mehran Ahmad and Jehangeer Alam) bachelor’s degree studies in the Department of Civil Engineering at UET Peshawar (Bannu Campus). The kind support of Asim Abbas, Lecturer at the Department of Civil Engineering, UET Peshawar, is highly appreciated. The authors sincerely thank the anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments, which helped to enhance the quality of the paper.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors claim that they have no known financial or interpersonal conflicts that can be perceived as having affected the research presented in this study.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Abbas, A., Ahmad, M., Khan, A.H. et al. Numerical Study on the Behavior of Reinforced Concrete Sandwich Panels (RCSPs) under Blast Load. Iran J Sci Technol Trans Civ Eng (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40996-024-01446-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40996-024-01446-1