Engineering and numerical tools for explosion protection of reinforced concrete

A range of prediction methods is presented to assist damage analysis and design of building components against explosion effects. The scaled distance can give a first indication if global structural modes, e.g. bending, or local failure modes such as breaching or shear failure have to be considered. Engineering tools are helpful for quick prediction and design of buildings and facilities. They can analyze simple geometries, also as part of a complex construction, if the failure mechanisms are well understood. Two distinct examples of such PC tools for different loading regimes are highlighted and explained: a physically based single-degree-of-freedom analysis program (EMIBAUEX), using similarity methods for transition from actually tested to arbitrary component geometries and the empirical analysis tool XPLOSIM for breaching predictions. Far more powerful, versatile but also expensive in terms of expertise and time requirements are hydrocode simulations with appropriate material models. Comparison of both hydrocode and engineering tool simulations to experimental results helps to understand the predictive capabilities. State-of-the-art analysis demands customized and often integrated use of such a range of methods in order to predict effectively and reliably what is expected to happen in case of an explosive event