Behavior of reinforced concrete beams and columns subjected to blast loading

In this study, the blast performance of steel reinforced concrete (RC) beams was experimentally and analytically investigated. The experiment consists of a total of 10 one-half-scale beams subjected to different levels of blast loading using live explosives. The reflected pressure-time histories were recorded and different damage levels and modes were observed. The blast resilience of the damaged beams was quantified by measuring the time-dependent displacements. Experiment results show that the damage in steel reinforced concrete beams with higher explosive mass is enhanced compared with that of the beams with smaller explosive mass at the same scaled distance. Based on the experiment data, an empirical expression is developed via dimensional analysis to correct the relationship between the mid-span displacement and scaled distance. Besides, a complex single degree of freedom model (SDOF) incorporating complex features of the material behavior, high strain-rate effect and the column geometry was proposed and validated by test results.