Scaling rules for the analysis of blast loaded concrete structures - a critical literature review: Paper presented at 6th International Conference on Design and Analysis of Protective Structures, DAPS 2017, November 29 - December 1, 2017, Melbourne, Australia

Abstract

A consistent set of scaling rules for concrete structures under blast loading is reviewed. The rules, analyzed with the Buckingham Π-Theorem, are in accordance with the cube root scaling rule [1].Assumptions made by their adaption in experiments are discussed by focusing on possible constraints. Furthermore, the rules are revalidated by experiments available in literature. Whereas blast waves scale well, many experiments denote a mismatch in the structural response. A material or structural dependent size effect is often stated to cause the mismatch, though in some cases, the performed experiment suffers from insufficient scaling. To quantify the effect of insufficient scaling, the experiments performed by Wang et al. [2], where blast loaded reinforced concrete slabs were tested at different scales, are modeled numerically. A finite element model, based on the RHT model and explicit consideration of reinforcement by beam elements, demonstrates that insufficient scaling can explain a major portion of the mismatch in the given case. It is concluded that, under certain limitations, scaled experiments are a powerful method to analyze blast loaded concrete structures when the related scaling rules are followed correctly