Influence of transverse reinforcement on perforation resistance of reinforced concrete slabs under hard missile impact

Non-linear dynamic behavior of reinforced concrete slabs under impact loading by rigid missile was analyzed using the commercial Finite Element (FE) code LS-DYNA. FE blind predictions based on Winfrith concrete material model were compared to the tests on slabs with and without transverse reinforcement. The FE predictions obtained were in general agreement with tests. Two different types of transverse reinforcement were examined (stirrups and T-headed bars) using simplified models. Similar to the tests, the FE predictions show that transverse reinforcement localizes damage induced by missile impact but does not increase the perforation resistance of the concrete slab. FE predictions also showed that T-headed bars perform better than stirrups, providing approximately the same perforation resistance and smaller damaged area comparing with a slab with longitudinal reinforcement only. Additionally, FE modeling was conducted for two different slab thicknesses to assess the effect of the thickness.