Inelastic response of structures due to large impact and blast loadings

Abstract

This article provides a broad overview of the contributions that relatively simple methods of analysis can make to the design of structural systems for the protection of the public and the security of industrial plant against extreme dynamic loading events which involve explosive blast pressures or impact loadings from fragments and projectiles. It is possible, by careful design, to absorb the external dynamic energies through large inelastic deformations of the structural members and specially designed energy-absorbing and cladding systems. Experimental studies are important because the large impact loadings produce inelastic strains and highly non-linear structural responses. The dynamic properties of ductile materials, including inelastic failure, the impact response of pipelines, and the scaling laws required for predicting the behaviour of full-scale prototypes from experiments on small-scale structures, are also discussed. Some phenomena are emphasized that are important for numerical finite element schemes as well as theoretical methods of analysis.