Numerical simulation of ultra high performance fibre reinforced concrete panel subjected to blast loading

In the last few decades, several full-scale blast tests have been performed to study the behaviour of ultra high performance fibre reinforced concrete (UHPFRC). However, only limited research has been devoted to simulate performance of UHPFRC subjected to blast loading. This paper presents a numerical investigation on the performance of UHPFRC under blast loading with a concrete material model which takes into account the strain rate effect. Furthermore, the model is modified to better express the strain softening of UHPFRC material. The performance of the numerical models is verified by comparing modelling results to the data from corresponding full scale blast tests. With the verified models, parametric studies are also carried out to investigate the effect of steel reinforcement and steel fibre in increasing UHPFRC resistance to blast loading.