Characterization of structural effects from above-ground explosion using coupled numerical simulation

The response of a building structure to a nearby explosion is complicated by the drastic spatial and time variation of the blast load. Existing studies on the structural responses to explosion effects often employ simplified structural model with assumed loading patterns, such as element-based (beam-column, slab) models, single degree of freedom or lumped mass systems. The validity of a simplified approach depends on whether the governing response and failure mechanisms are well represented in the simplified scheme. For such validation more sophisticated models are required. This paper presents a numerical simulation study aiming to characterize the various structural effects of above-ground explosions. A coupled numerical approach with combined Lagrangian and Eulerian methods is adopted to allow for the incorporation of the essential processes, namely the explosion, shock wave propagation, shock wave-structure interaction and structural response, in the same model. The computational domain extends to the soil around the base of the structure, allowing also for an evaluation of the significance of the ground vibration effect. Results show that for a typical above-ground explosion scenario, the critical structural damage is dominated by air shock loading, while the ground shock induces only some additional vibration whose structural effect is minor. The distribution of structural damage tends to be governed by member level effects on the front face of the structure, whereas the global dynamic response of the system appears to be insignificant. Similar modeling approach may be applied to explore other blast-induced complex response phenomena.