Design methods of blast resistant façades, windows, and doors in Germany: a review

Abstract

AbstractExplosion events represent an extraordinary action for buildings and especially for the building envelope. In addition to accidents in chemical plants or during transport of explosive substances, the threat of terrorist attacks has increased in recent years. Façade constructions, windows, and doors represent weak points in the event of an incident, through which blast waves can enter the building. Debris and fragments resulting from the failure of building components endanger people inside and outside the building. For structures that are threatened, appropriate elements with protective properties must be chosen so that an acceptable level of safety is achieved. The design and execution of a sufficiently blast-resistant building envelope is not a trivial task. In limited cases, necessary protection can be achieved by use of certified products. Since buildings in need of protection mostly have high architectural demands, standard elements can usually not be used. Or the blast load used for certification deviates greatly from the assumed blast load for the threat scenario. There are several methods to verify the explosion resistant properties of façades, windows, doors, etc., e. g. experimental methods, numerical methods, engineering approaches and empirical methods. In this article, an introduction to explosions and their effect on the building envelope is given. Methods for verification of blast resistance are presented and critical discussed. The article presents an overview of the state of the art in practice with a focus on Germany.