Numerical analysis of foam protected RC members against blast loads

With the rising threat of terrorism, the protection of critical civil infrastructure has become a critical issue in order to reduce economic and life losses due to terrorism threats. Newly developed mobile and lightweight materials such as metallic foams are very attractive for use as cladding to mitigate blast effects due to their outstanding energy absorption capacities. In this paper, a commercial software LS-DYNA program is used to simulate the aluminium foam protected RC member subjected to blast loading. In the numerical model, modified-honeycomb model (Material 126) is selected to model the aluminium foam, the Continuous Surface Cap Model (CSCM) is used to model concrete performance and an elasto-plastic model for steel bars is employed modelling steel bar behaviour. The numerical model is then validated by field blast testing data. Using the validated numerical model, parametric studies are conducted to generate pressure impulse diagrams for RC slabs cladded with aluminium foam with various thickness and density. The derived pressure impulse diagram can be used in preliminary design calculations to ensure a structure is adequately protected using aluminium foam.Ye Xia, Chengqing Wu, Fangrui Zhang and Zhongxian L