A case study of the effect of cladding panels on the response of reinforced concrete frames subjected to distant blast loadings

The turbine building is a vital structure within nuclear power plants that houses turbines, moisture separators and electric generators among other important equipment. Turbine buildings are typically frame structures that in most cases have not been designed to resist blast loadings. The authors to determine the dynamic responses of reinforced concrete (RC) frame structures when subjected to distant intense surface loadings caused by explosions carried out a numerical study. The study was extended further to investigate the influence of claddings on frame structures when exposed to blast loadings. A three-dimensional (3D) nonlinear dynamic finite element model was created and utilized to determine the dynamic responses of RC frame structures from both local and global perspectives. It was observed from the results obtained from the finite element (FE) simulations carried out that the dynamic responses of frame structures with claddings were more severe. This is due to the variations in blast forces received by the structure.