Reliability Assessment of HFRC Slabs Against Projectile Impact

Abstract In the present study, a probabilistic procedure is presented for estimating the reliability of hybrid fiber reinforced concrete (HFRC) slabs against the impact of hemispherical nose projectiles considering uncertainties involved in the material, geometric and impact parameters. The influence of hybrid fibers in improving the safety level of reinforced concrete slabs against impact loads has also been studied on a parametric basis. The failure of the HFRC slabs was assumed to occur when the impact velocity of the projectile exceeds the ballistic limit of the slab i.e. perforates the slab. To illustrate the procedure, a probabilistic analysis was carried out on the impact test results of HFRC slabs containing different proportions of hooked-end steel, polypropylene and Kevlar fibers, recently published by the authors. Reliability assessment was performed for a range of applied nominal impact loads by varying the impact velocity of the given projectile. Reliability analysis yields the safety level of all the HFRC slabs against the impact of the above projectile. Effect of fibers, especially steel fibers, and slab thickness on the reliability of HFRC slabs are also investigated on a parametric basis