Blast load effects on the design and response of critical infrastructure

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The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and the foiled actions of the "Toronto 18" in Canada in 2006 have changed the security posture in Canada. The need to protect infrastructure and the population against the ever looming terrorist threat has seen the inclusion of blast-resistant design requirements in the design of new and rehabilitation of existing infrastructure. Today, governments and owners of "iconic" structures seek to understand the vulnerability of structures to terrorist action and appropriate solutions to increase the survivability of these structures and their occupants. The greatest hindrance to the engineering community is an understanding of the terrorist threat, incorporating existing physical security measures into a comprehensive mitigation design, and response of structural members to blast loads.***Most of the research on blast-resistant design is from the cold-war era and was targeted at military-type installations and infrastructures. Today, terrorist explosions are primarily against civilian infrastructure that was built for aesthetics, lightweight, and economy and thus lack resistance against blast loading. Thus there is a need to develop blast-resistant design principles for civilian infrastructure.***The objective of this proposal is to develop design procedures and guidelines for critical load-bearing columns against blast loading. The project follows on-going research to understand the effect of column design and detailing on their response under near-field blast loading.***The proposed research involves live explosion testing and numerical modelling of reinforced concrete (RC) columns. The numerical modeling will supplement the limited experimental testing and be used in parametric studies to establish the effects of different reinforcement ratios (longitudinal and transverse), reinforcement detailing, and axial load levels on the response of RC columns.The outcome of the project will be cost-effective design (retrofit) methodologies to mitigate the hazards associated explosions. ***The proposed research will train 5 graduate students in the areas of blast load effects, structural response under extreme loading, and material response under high-strain rates. The program will propose effective design and retrofit methodologies for new and existing critical infrastructure respectively to limit injuries and fatalities to the Canadian public.**