Experimental investigation of blast wall panels under shock pressure loading

A series of field tests was carried out at the BakerRisk test site in San Antonio, Texas on 14-scale stainless-steel blast panels. The panel design was based on a deep trough trapezoidal profile, with welded angle connections at the top and bottom and free sides. The loading applied to the test panel was a shocked pressure pulse representative of the positive phase of the air blast loading arising from a high-explosive charge. The aim of this work was (1) to show the effect of panel response on the reflected blast loading and (2) to investigate the influence of the connection detail on the overall performance of the panel/connection system under shocked pressure loading. The data were also used to develop appropriate analytical and numerical models for correlation with the test results. Large permanent plastic deformations were produced in the panel without rupture. The work has shown that the connection detail can significantly influence the response and blast resistance of the panel to extreme pressure loading. The results highlight the conservative nature of the design guidance for blast wall design, which limits the deflections to 140th of the height of the blast wall. This in turn should lead to more economical design. The results also concluded that further test work was required to confirm that the panel response had any appreciable effect on the pressure loading.