• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.429-455
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• 2010

The current research presents a detailed methodology for generating air blast loading for use within a finite element context. Parameters describing blast overpressure loading on a structure are drawn from open literature sources and incorporated within a blast load generation computer code developed for this research. This open literature approach lends transparency to the details of the blast load modeling, as compared with many commonly used approaches to blast load generation, for which the details are not publicly available. As a demonstration, the load generation code is used with the finite element software LS-DYNA to simulate the response of a steel plate and girder subjected to explosions modeled using these parameters as well as blast parameters from other sources.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.117-123
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• 2016

The blast load is classified into free-air blast and surface blast following the location of explosion and surface. In this paper, several equations for blast load calculation are explained briefly and a modified equation for free-air blast load is suggested. The modified equation is based on Kingery-Bulmash equation which is used in UFC 3-340-02 and Conwep model. In this modified equation, the process of calculation is simplified against the original equation, and the number of coefficients is reduced under 5. As a result, each parameter of estimated data by modified equation has less than 1% of error range comparing with Kingery-Bulmash equation.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.67-75
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• 2016

In this paper, a pressure-time history curve of blast load and Conwep model are presented, and a simplified blast load formula is suggested. Generally, a blast load are applied as a pressure-time history curve, and it is calculated by blast load formula such as Conwep model. The Conwep model which is used in most of the blast analysis is quiet difficult to calculate because of its complex process. Therefore, a simplified formula is proposed to calculate blast load by simple rational expressions and to make a simplified pressure-time history curve. In this process, a curve fitting method was used to find the simple rational expressions. The calculation results of the simplified formula have an error of less than 1% in comparison with the Conwep model. And, blast analyses using finite elements method are accomplished with the Conwep model and simplified formula for verification.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.273-280
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• 2015

Equivalent Single-Degree-of-Freedom(SDOF) analysis, most used for blast-resistant design, does not consider the effects of gravity load on the performance evaluation of blast resistance of structural members. However, since there exists gravity load on columns and walls of structures, the blast resistance of structural members should be evaluated considering gravity load on them. In this paper, an approach to reflect the gravity load effects on the equivalent SDOF analysis for dynamic blast response of structural members is proposed. For this purpose, the parametric studies using finite element analysis were performed by varying maximum blast load, blast load duration, and gravity load with constant the resistance and natural period of a structural member. The finite element analysis results were compared with the equivalent SDOF analysis results and the blast response of the structure member was estimated by conducting finite element analyses for various gravity loads. Finally, a graphical solution for ductility of a structural member with the variables of blast load, gravity load and structural member properties was developed. The blast response of structural members under gravity load could be estimated reasonably and easily by using this graphical solution.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.595-613
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• 2013

A new effective model for calculation of the equivalent uniform blast load for non-uniform blast load such as close-in explosion of a one-way square and rectangle reinforced concrete slab is proposed in this paper. The model is then validated using single degree of freedom (SDOF) system with the experiments and blast tests for square slabs and rectangle slabs. Test results showed that the model is accurate in predicting the damage level on the tested RC slabs under the given explosive charge weight and stand-off distance especially for close-in blast load. The results are also compared with those obtained by conventional SDOF analysis and finite element (FE) analysis using solid elements. It is shown that the new model is more accurate than the conventional SDOF analysis and is running faster than the FE analysis.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2024

This paper employs stochastic processing techniques to analyze explosion risks in plant facilities based on explosion return periods. Release probability is calculated using data from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), along with annual leakage frequency per plant provided by DNV. Ignition probability, derived from various researchers' findings, is then considered to calculate the explosion return period based on the release quantity. The explosion risk is assessed by examining the volume, radius, and blast load of the vapor cloud, taking into account the calculated explosion return period. The reference distance for the design blast load model is determined by comparing and analyzing the vapor cloud radius according to the return period, historical vapor cloud explosion cases, and blast-resistant design guidelines. Utilizing the multi-energy method, the blast load range corresponding to the explosion return period is presented. The proposed return period serves as a standard for the design blast load model, established through a comparative analysis of vapor cloud explosion cases and blast-resistant design guidelines. The outcomes of this study contribute to the development of a performance-based blast-resistant design framework for plant facilities.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.75-82
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• 2017

The Kingery-Bulmash equation is the most common equation to calculate blast load. However, the Kingery-Bulmash equation is complicated. In this paper, a modified equation for surface blast load is proposed. The equation is based on Kingery-Bulmash equation. The proposed equation requires a brief calculation process, and the number of coefficients is reduced under 5. As a result, each parameter obtained by using the modified equation has less than 1% of error range comparing with the result by using Kingery-Bulmash equation. The modified equation may replace the original equation with brief process to calculate.

• Coupled systems mechanics
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.167-181
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• 2023

The determination of the blast protection level and the corresponding minimum load-bearing capacity for a laminated glass (LG) window is of crucial importance for safety and security design purposes. In this paper, the focus is given to the window response under near-field blast loading, i.e., where relatively small explosives would be activated close to the target, representative of attack scenarios using small commercial drones. In general, the assessment of the load-bearing capacity of a window is based on complex and expensive experiments, which can be conducted for a small number of configurations. On the other hand, nowadays, validated numerical simulations tools based on the Finite Element Method (FEM) are available to partially substitute the physical tests for the assessment of the performance of various LG systems, especially for the far-field blast loading. However, very little literature is available on the LG window performance under near-field blast loads, which differs from far-field situations in two points: i) the duration of the load is very short, since the blast wavelength tends to increase with the distance and ii) the load distribution is not uniform over the window surface, as opposed to the almost plane wave configuration for far-field configurations. Therefore, the current study focuses on the performance assessment and structural behaviour of LG windows under near-field blasts. Typical behavioural trends are investigated, by taking into account possible relevant damage mechanisms in the LG window components, while size effects for target LG windows are also addressed under a multitude of blast loading configurations.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2008.04a
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• pp.313-318
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• 2008

The blast load is caused by gas or bomb explosions. In this study blast load was simulated using the computer code CONWEP and nonlinear analysis was performed on three-story steel moment frames. It was observed from the analysis results that the response of the structures varied depending on the opening area and the explosive weight.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.283-300
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• 2009

The characteristic response of a structure to blast load may be divided into two distinctive phases, namely the direct blast response during which the shock wave effect and localized damage take place, and the post-blast phase whereby progressive collapse may occur. A reliable post-blast analysis depends on a sound understanding of the direct blast effect. Because of the complex loading environment and the stress wave effects, the analysis on the direct effect often necessitates a high fidelity numerical model with coupled fluid (air) and solid subdomains. In such a modelling framework, an appropriate representation of the blast load and the high nonlinearity of the material response is a key to a reliable outcome. This paper presents a series of calibration study on these two important modelling considerations in a coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian framework using a hydrocode. The calibration of the simulated blast load is carried out for both free air and internal explosions. The simulation of the extreme dynamic response of concrete components is achieved using an advanced concrete damage model in conjunction with an element erosion scheme. Validation simulations are conducted for two representative scenarios; one involves a concrete slab under internal blast, and the other with a RC column under air blast, with a particular focus on the simulation sensitivity to the mesh size and the erosion criterion.