Response of normal-strength and ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete columns to idealized blast loads

• We modeled regular and ultra-high performance concrete columns under impulsive loads.
• Considered different compressive axial loads, boundary conditions, and blast loads.
• Peak displacements of UHPC columns were about 30% smaller.
• The impulsive asymptotes of UHPC columns were about four times bigger.
• The level of compressive axial load due to gravity had a significant influence.

A numerical study was used to study the response of a normal-strength concrete (NSC) column that was not design for blast resistance subjected to four levels of idealized blast loads. Then, to compare the behavior of the NSC column with a column made with ultra high performance fiber reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) that had the same dimensions and reinforcing details as the NSC column and subjected to the same loading conditions. The boundary conditions and the level of compressive axial load due to gravity were also considered in the analyses. The behavioral comparisons were made both in the time-history domain, as well as in the load–impulse (P–I) domain. Comparisons, observations, and conclusions are presented.