Guidelines for Design of Protective Structures Subjected To Unconfined Explosions

V. PERFORMANCE CRITERIA (µ AND Θ)

The level of damage of the components subjected to blast is related to its performance criteria. The
performance criteria for components are determined using two non- dimensional parameters: the ductility ratio
(μ) and support rotation (θ). The ductility ratio and support rotation are as follows:

(1)

(2)

Where is elastic deflection and is the plastic deflection. The response parameters, µ and θ are
determined using SDOF analysis. The deformations in reinforced concrete elements are expressed as support
rotation θ whereas ductility ratio μ are used for steel elements [9]. The allowable response of the structure as
defined in some of the codes and literatures, for Medium and Heavy level of damage are summarized in
Table 4 [9].

Table 4 - Allowable response [9]

Medium Damage High or Heavy Damage
ASCE Blast ASCE Blast
DoD criteria design UFC 3-340-02 DoD criteria design UFC 3-340-02
Element type µMax ΘMax µMax ΘMax µMax ΘMax µMax ΘMax µMax ΘMax µMax ΘMax
RCC beam - 2 - 2 - 2 - 5 - 5 - 8

RCC slab - 2 - 2 - 1 - 5 - 5 - 8
Reinforced
- 2 - 2 - 1 - 8 - 5 - -
Masonary walls
Prestressed - 1 - 1 1 2 - 2 - 2 - -

VI. BLAST PHENOMENON

During explosion, the ambient pressure (P) is amplified by the shock wave resulting in peak
overpressure (PSO). When the peak overpressure hits the rigid surface, the pressure gets amplified and creates
reflected pressure (Pr). Pr and Pso shall be obtained from respective figures of UFC 3-340-02 for relevant scaled
distance (Z) which is given as,
(3)
Where, R = Stand-off distance, W = Charge weight. Normally, explosions are classified into two types as
unconfined explosion and confined explosion. An unconfined explosion can occur in free-air or air or on the
surface. Understanding the blast wave propagation subjected to different explosion condition is essential prior to
a blast resistant design. In free-air burst, the detonation occurs above the structure where the spherical blast
wave hits the structure without any intermediate amplification as shown in Figure 4 a.

a. Free-air burst b. Air burst

www.irjes.com 72 | Page
 Guidelines for Design of Protective Structures Subjected To Unconfined Explosions

c. Surface burst
Figure 4 - Types of burst

‗In air-burst, the explosion occurs above the ground level where the shock wave impinges on the
ground surface before hitting on the structure. The blast wave rather than bouncing back completely, spurts
along the ground resulting in Mach front as shown in Figure 4 b. The arrival time of ground reflected pressure
and overpressure are same for the mach wave front.
In surface-burst, the explosion occurs on the ground surface where an immediate reflection of blast
waves produces the hemispherical shock wave front as shown in Figure 4 c. The typical pressure-time
relationship for an unconfined explosion is shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5 - Typical Pressure-time relationships for blast load

Depending on the angle of impact of the blast pressure, profile of the structure and exposure of blast
pressure, the scenario to calculate the blast pressure will change. In general, computation of blast pressure for a
structure subjected to an external blast (unconfined) is explained below.

6.1 External blast load on structures

External blast happens in an open atmosphere, where there is a space for the blast waves to escape is
said to be unconfined explosion. Many cases of blast fall under the category of external blast. A step-by-step
procedure for calculating the pressures acting on the four sides and roof of the structure due to unconfined
explosion is explained. This procedure can be adopted for different types of burst to find the pressure on
elements. Figure 6a and 6b depicts the blast loading on structure and varying stand-off points for a rectangular
structure respectively.
For determining the blast pressure, the general arrangement detail of a structure is considered as shown

www.irjes.com 73 | Page
 Guidelines for Design of Protective Structures Subjected To Unconfined Explosions

in Figure 7 , where columns C1 and C2 are connected with walls and slabs. The wall and slab which is exposed
to blast waves are classified into front wall, rear wall, side wall and roof depending on the point of detonation.
Depending on the geometry and angle of incident of the blast wave, drag coefficient will vary. The below
procedure can be used for other shapes by adopting suitable drag coefficient.

a. Blast loading on structure b. Varying Stand-off point for Walls

Figure 6 - External blast loads on structure

Figure 7 - General arrangement of a structure

6.2 Pressure on front wall

The blast wave expands outward from the point of detonation and hits the front wall at time t A and the
pressure will get amplified immediately to peak reflected pressure P r as shown in Figure 8. The time required to
relieve the reflected pressure is denoted by t C. In addition to the reflected pressure, the dynamic effects creates
additional force due to the drag effect of blast pressure CDq where CD is the drag coefficient and q is the
dynamic pressure which relates the geometry. For pressure calculation on front wall the drag coefficient CD
can be taken as 1. The reflected pressure P r and overpressure PSO are taken from figure 2-3 to figure 2-16 of
UFC 3-340-02 for the defined type of blast. The actual duration of the blast pressure t O is replaced by fictitious
duration of incident pressure tof and fictitious duration of reflected pressure trf as explained above. The region
which gives the smallest impulse, shall be taken as design load for front wall.

www.irjes.com 74 | Page
 Guidelines for Design of Protective Structures Subjected To Unconfined Explosions

Figure 8 - Pressure-time relationships Front wall

6.3 Pressure on Roof and Side wall

When the shock front strikes the structure, pressure transferred to the roof slab and side walls are equal
to the incident pressure at a given time. The loading on portion of roof slab or wall depends upon the magnitude
of the shock front, location of the shock front and wavelength Lw of positive and negative pressure. The actual
load on the surface is determined by step-by-step analysis of wave propagation through surface. This should be
done at various points on the surface along the length.
The shock front at the face of the structure linearly increases from zero at time tf to maximum at time td
and then it decreases to zero at time tb. The pressure acting on the roof and side wall is determined by using the
below relation. The incident pressure on side wall and roof is determined from figure 2-3 to figure 2-16 of UFC
3-340-02 for the defined type of burst. The standoff distance for calculating incident pressure on roof and
sidewall can be considered as shown in Figure 6 b. The equivalent load factor CE, the rise time and duration of
the equivalent pressure are obtained from figure 2-196 to 198 of UFC 3-340-02 for the respective wave length-
span ratio Lw/L. The drag coefficient for roof and side wall is taken from
Table 5 as the function of peak dynamic pressure.
(4)

Table 5 - Drag coefficient for rectangular shaped structure

S.no Peak dynamic Drag coefficient

pressure (psi)
1. 0-25 -0.4
2. 25-150 -0.3
3. 50-130 -0.2

Figure 9 - Pressure-time relationships Roof and Side wall

6.4 Pressure on Rear wall

When the shock front passes over the rear edges of the roof and side walls, the pressure front expands and
forms secondary waves which act on the rear wall. The secondary waves formed are reinforced with reflecting
waves from the roof and side wall. Reduction in blast pressure happens due to the drag effects as it passes on
front and side walls. The peak pressure on the rear wall is calculated using the peak pressure, P sob that
accumulated at the back edge of the roof slab as shown in Figure 10.

www.irjes.com 75 | Page
 Guidelines for Design of Protective Structures Subjected To Unconfined Explosions

(5)

Figure 10 - Pressure-time relationships Rear wall

The equivalent load factor CE, the rise time and duration of the equivalent pressure are obtained from
figure 2-196 to 198 of UFC 3-340-02 for the respective wave length-span ratio LW/L. The length of the rear
wall (L) is taken as height of the structure (HS). The drag coefficient for calculating the peak dynamic pressure
on rear wall is taken from
Table 5. The pressure acting on the rear wall is determined by using the above relation.

6.5 Pressure on Columns

The pressure acting on the exterior column depends on flexibility of the supporting wall i.e. the
reaction from wall for subjected particular blast pressure decreases with increase in flexibility of the wall. This
reaction from the supporting wall acts as a uniformly distributed load on the column with different time-period,
in addition to the direct blast pressure. In general, the load due to the reaction of wall will reduce with increase
in time period as compared to incident pressure. In case of interior columns, the resistance (r U) of the slab shall
be applied as an axial load on the column, for this load conventional design methodology shall be carried out.

VII. DYNAMIC ANALYSIS

Rapidly varying application of blast pressure load in short period requires dynamic analysis. Due to the
rapid application of the load with respect to time, inertia force plays an important role in dynamic analysis.
Equilibrium equation for dynamic analysis is as shown below
(6)
Where, F is the external force, I is the internal force, M is the mass of the structure and A is the
acceleration force. MA is the acceleration acting on the structure in direction opposite to the applied load. The
dynamic response of the structure can be found by different type of analysis like Single degree of freedom
(SDOF) analysis, Multi degree of freedom (MDOF) analysis, Pressure-Impulse (P-I) analysis and finite element
analysis. In dynamic analysis, the mass of the structure (m) becomes an important factor in both the equilibrium
and energy conservation equations. The SDOF analysis for a blast resistant design is presented here.

7.1 SDOF analysis

In SDOF system structure is replaced by an equivalent single degree of freedom system where the
distributed masses and loads of the structure are replaced by concentrated mass and load which vary with time
as shown in
Figure 11. The analysis method is based on the resistance-deflection concept employed using SDOF
system. The dynamic design factors like load factor KL, mass factor KM are required for converting the actual
system into idealized equivalent SDOF system. Based on the behavioral range of the system like elastic or
plastic, the load mass factor for one way elements can be taken from Table 3-12 of UFC 3-340-02 and similarly
for two way elements from Figure 3-44 and Table 3-13 for the actual
deflection. XE
me
Where,
me is the effective unit mass
KE is the equivalent elastic stiffness of system
Xe is the elastic deformation

www.irjes.com 76 | Page
 Guidelines for Design of Protective Structures Subjected To Unconfined Explosions

Figure 11- SDOF System

7.2 MDOF analysis
A system with more than one degree of freedom to describe the motion of the system is said to be MDOF
system in Figure 12. The newton‘s equation of motion applied in SDOF system can be applied here to find out
the response of the structure.

Figure 12 - MDOF System

7.3 P-I curves

A PI diagram is an iso-damage or iso-response contour plot consisting of a series of pressure–impulse
combinations that generate the same level of structural response as shown in Figure 13. By generating a PI
diagram for a given structural element and plotting specific pressure–impulse combinations corresponding to
various anticipated explosive threats, the performance of a structure may be evaluated graphically [13].

Figure 13 - PI Diagram [13]

VIII. DESIGN
The blast resistant design of a structure is based on the requirement as mentioned in the performance
criteria and SDOF analysis. In design of a structure subjected to blast, the behavior of structure in plastic and
elastic ranges is crucial. A Blast resistant structure undergoes large inelastic deformations, when it is exposed to
blast pressure. Limiting the behavior of structures to only elastic range is not realistic as it is not economically
feasible. Thus, the blast resistant structures are designed for high ductility to absorb energy in-elastically without
failure. This section describes the procedure for designing the elements subjected to ductile mode and brittle
mode of response. In blast resistant design, design ranges are classified into two types, far design range (Z ≥ 3)
and close-in range (Z < 3) depending on scaled distance. Important parameters used in the design are as follows

8.1 Section Capacity

Under blast load a structural element exhibits higher strength than static load, due to rapid strain rate
variation under such dynamic event. Higher strength is obtained in both the reinforcement steel and concrete.
The increase in material strength can be arrived from Table 4-1 and Table 4-2 of UFC 3-340-02 for the
respective strain of the component. Based on the allowable deformations and failure criteria, the type of cross
section required to protect against blast effects can be adopted as shown in Table 6. Depending on type of cross
section, resistance (rU) is arrived by choosing the optimum reinforcement to limit the deformation.

8.2 Determining Response (µ and Θ)

For the designed capacity of the section rU, response (μ) of the structural element is found out from
Figures 3-1 to 3-266 of UFC 3-340-02 as the function of to /TN and P/rU. The time to reach the maximum
deflection, tm of the element is also calculated from the same graph, to identify the structure to be designed for
impulse (tm/to > 3) or pressure time (0.1 < tm/to < 3).

www.irjes.com 77 | Page
 Guidelines for Design of Protective Structures Subjected To Unconfined Explosions

The actual support rotation (θ) for the maximum deflection, Xm is arrived based on the equation
described in section 5 of this paper.
8.3 Shear Capacity
A structural element experiences a high force due to blast; it may fail by punching shear. So, it is
necessary to check the element for the direct and diagonal shear to avoid sudden collapse of the structure. A
direct shear failure is the one which the crack propagates vertically throughout the depth of the section. This
shear failure can be avoid by providing diagonal reinforcement.

IX. DETAILING
Proper detailing of structure is important especially the reinforcement detailing in blast resistant design. So that
the structure resist the blast pressures and yield up to plastic state. Specific detailing has to be considered for
blast resistant design as follows
 Structural elements undergoing large deflections should be designed with the minimum compressive
strength of concrete as 27 Mpa.
 The minimum grade of steel shall be ASTM A 706 Grade 60.
 Reinforcement bars shall be of minimum 10 mm diameter for flexural action.
 The maximum spacing of reinforcement should not be greater than 380 mm to ensure confinement of
concrete.

Table 6 - Cross section type

Type of Min.Comp Rotation

S.no Description Failure criteria
cross-section rebar limitation

Concrete cover over

the reinforcement
1 Type I remains intact and it A‘s≥0.5*As θ ≤ 2o
is effective in
resisting moment.
Concrete cover over
the both surfaces of
the reinforcement is
2 Type II crushed but remains A‘s = As θ>2 o ≤ 6o
intact and not
effective in resisting
moment. 11.1.
Concrete cover over
the reinforcement on
both surfaces
3 Type III completely A‘s = As θ>6o <12 o
disengaged (spalled)
and not effective in
resisting moment. 11.2.

 The lap length shall be calculated as per ACI 318 building code, but it should not be less than 600mm.
 For large deflections i.e. 6 < θ < 12, lap length shall be 30 % higher than the development length defined in
the latest ACI 318 building code.
 The shear shall be resisted by providing lacing reinforcement or shear links which are classified into Type
A, Type B and Type C.
i) Type A stirrup will be 90◦ hook on one side and 135◦ hook on other side.
For elements designed for blast loading on one face alone, then 90 ◦ hook shall be provided on blast loading face.
If blast acting on either face of the element, then the stirrup should be alternated with 90 ◦ and 135◦ hook.
ii) Type B stirrup will be 135◦ hook on either side.
iii) Type C stirrup will be 180◦ hook on either side.

 Type C stirrups or lacing reinforcement can be adopted for the structures experiencing close-in detonations.
 The minimum and maximum size of lacing and stirrup reinforcement shall be 10mm and 25mm
respectively.
 The wall to floor or wall to slab should be connected by diagonal bar in order to avoid direct shear failure.
www.irjes.com 78 | Page
 Guidelines for Design of Protective Structures Subjected To Unconfined Explosions

X. CONCLUSION
In this paper, following are the important key points inferred and discussed for the design of blast resistant
design of protective structure subjected to an unconfined explosion.
1. Classification of protective structures as per its design strategy and purpose of the facility.
2. Identification of level of protection based on risk level from the risk assessment process.
3. Limitation of performance criteria for protective structure in line with the level of damage.
4. Summary of performance criteria for concrete structures as per DOD, ASCE and UFC 3-340-02.
5. Computation of pressure-time loading considering the dynamic pressure for different blast scenario.
6. SDOF analysis and design procedure for structural components subjected to an unconfined explosion.
7. The types of cross-section for capacity computation based on the importance of the structure, magnitude of
pressure, allowable deformations and failure criteria.
8. Reinforcement detailing provision for concrete structure subjected to blast loading.

REFERENCES
[1] Global terrorism database http://www.start.umd.edu/gtd/search/Results.aspx? expanded=no&
casualties_type=b&casualties_max=101&start_yearonly=2000&end_yearonly=2015&dtp2=all&success=yes&attack=3&ob=GTDI
D&od=desc&page=1&count=100#results-table (17.11.2015)
[2] T. Ngo, P. Mendis, A. Gupta & J. Ramsay.The University of Melbourne, Australia, Blast Loading and Blast Effects on Structures –
An Overview, EJSE Special Issue: Loading on Structures, 2007; 76-91.
[3] Hrvoje Draganić, Vladimir Sigmund. Blast loading on structures, Technical Gazette 19, 2012, 643-652.
[4] Prof. A. V. Kulkarni, Sambireddy G, Analysis of Blast Loading Effect on High Rise Buildings, Civil and Environmental Research,
2014, Vol.6, No.10, 86-90.
[5] Norbert Gebbeken, Torsten Döge, Explosion Protection—Architectural Design, Urban Planning and Landscape Planning,
International Journal of Protective Structures, 2010, Volume 1, 1-21.
[6] UFC 3-340-02 – Structures to resist the effects of accidental explosions, 5 December 2008.
[7] FEMA 426 – Risk management series Reference manual to mitigate potential terrorist attacks against buildings, December 2003.
[8] FEMA 430 – Risk management series ―Site and urban design for security guidance against potential terrorist attacks‖, December
2007.
[9] Donald O. Dusenberry, Handbook for blast-resistant design of buildings, 2010, 90, 113.
[10] Mays G. C. and P. D. Smith, Blast Effects on Buildings, London: Thomas Telford Publications, 1995, 71.
[11] FEMA 427 – Risk management series Primer for design of commercial buildings to mitigate terrorist attacks, December 2003.
[12] FEMA 452 – Risk management series Risk assessment a how to guide to mitigate potential terrorist attacks against buildings,
January 2005.
[13] Seminar on Introduction to design of blast resistant structures, Delhi March 2014.
[14] ACI 318-11 – Building Code Provisions for Structural Concrete and Commentary, 2005.
[15] ASCE – Design of Structures to Resist Nuclear Weapons Effects (Manual No. 42), 1985.
[16] ASCE – Design of Blast Resistant Buildings in Petrochemical Facilities, 1997.

www.irjes.com 79 | Page