Breach diameter analysis of concrete panels subjected to contact charge detonations

This paper presents the results of an experimental study on the explosive breaching of concrete panels subjected to contact charge detonations. Three square double-reinforced concrete panels having side dimensions of 500 mm and thickness of 100 mm were designed and tested. The concrete panels were cast with two different compressive strengths of concrete which were normal strength and high strength concrete. The contact charges were cylindrical in shape and utilised Composition B explosive. The mass of the contact charges for the three concrete panels were estimated to result in a breaching failure mode of the tested panels. The external and internal breach parameters of the concrete panels were evaluated by measuring the diameter and depth of the ejection crater, spalling crater as well as the diameter of the breached hole created by the contact charge detonation. Along with the experimental results of this study, a test database of the explosive breaching of concrete panels is compiled from data published in the literature. The data is used to validate analytical models for predicting the characteristics of contact charges required to produce a wall breach of the required shape and size.