Blast resistance of FRP composites and polymer strengthened concrete and masonry structures – A state-of-the-art review

Recent world events such as bombings in London, Madrid and Istanbul have highlighted the susceptibility of many civilian structures to terrorist attack. Explosives directed towards vulnerable structures may cause considerable damage and loss of life. As a result, there is now a desire to increase the blast resistance of many types of existing structures. This has led to experimental and finite element (FE) research in retrofitting concrete and masonry structures with fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites for blast protection. This paper presents a review of the publicly available literature and highlights areas where research is lacking.