Investigation of the Behavior of a Reinforced Concrete Shear Wall under Blast Loading

Abstract

In this study, the behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) shear walls under blast loading was investigated through experimental testing and numerical analysis. As part of the experimental program, a single RC shear wall specimen with a concrete compressive strength of 25 MPa was produced and subjected to an open-field blast test. The blast load was generated by detonating 3 kg of TNT at a distance of 5 m from the wall and at a height of 1 m above ground level. During the experiment, displacements on the wall were carefully monitored. Additionally, to validate the experimental findings, a three-dimensional numerical model was developed using the LS-DYNA finite element software. Advanced material models for concrete were employed to simulate the effects of blast pressure waves on the wall. A comparison between the numerical and experimental results demonstrated good agreement in terms of maximum displacements, and overall damage patterns.

Keywords

• Reinforced concrete
• Shear wall
• Blast
• LS-DYNA

Betonarme Bir Perde Duvarın Patlama Etkisi Altındaki Davranışlarının İncelenmesi

Abstract

Bu çalışmada, betonarme (BA) perde duvarların patlama etkisi altındaki davranışı deneysel ve nümerik olarak incelenmiştir. Deneysel program kapsamında, beton basınç dayanımı 25 MPa olan bir adet BA perde duvar üretilerek açık alanda patlama testine tabi tutulmuştur. Patlatma deneyi, 3 kg TNT eşdeğerinde patlayıcının perde duvardan 5 m mesafede ve 1 m yükseklikte infilak ettirilmesiyle gerçekleştirilmiştir. Deney sırasında perde duvarda yer değiştirmeler detaylı şekilde gözlemlenmiştir. Ayrıca, deneysel çalışmanın doğrulanması amacıyla LS-DYNA sonlu elemanlar programında üç boyutlu bir nümerik model oluşturulmuştur. Bu modelde beton için gelişmiş malzeme modelleri kullanılarak patlama basınç dalgasının duvar üzerindeki etkileri simüle edilmiştir. Nümerik analiz sonuçları ile deneysel bulgular karşılaştırıldığında yer değiştirmeler ve genel hasar paternleri bakımından iyi bir uyum elde edilmiştir.

Keywords

• Betonarme
• Perde duvar
• Patlatma
• LS-DYNA

References

1. Akkaya ST, Mercimek Ö, Ghoroubi R, Anil Ö, Erbaş Y, Yılmaz T. 2022. Experimental, analytical, and numerical investigation of punching behaviour of two-way RC slab with multiple openings. Structures, 43: 574-593.
2. Anadolu Ajansı. 2022. İstanbul’da taş ocağında dinamit patlaması nedeniyle bazı evler zarar gördü. URL: https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/gundem/istanbulda-tas-ocaginda-dinamit-patlamasi-nedeniyle-bazi-evler-zarar-gordu/2714607 (erişim tarihi: 20 May 2025).
3. Ankara Masası. 2024. Samsun’da taş ocağındaki patlama 4 kişiyi yaraladı! URL: https://www.ankaramasasi.com.tr/haber/2153925/samsun-da-tas-ocagindaki-patlama-4-kisiyi-yaraladi (erişim tarihi: 25 May 2025).
4. ANSYS. 2024. ANSYS LS-DYNA Keyword User’s Manual: Volume II Material Models (Release 12/18/24).
5. BBC News Türkçe. 2016. Türkiye’de Haziran 2015-Aralık 2016 arası düzenlenen terör saldırılarında 500’e yakın kişi hayatını kaybetti. URL: https://www.bbc.com/turkce/haberler-turkiye-38365351 (erişim tarihi: 10 April 2025).
6. Chen X, Zhou C, Zhao Q. 2024. Experimental and numerical investigation on dynamic response of reinforced concrete shear walls under near-field explosion. J Phys Conf Ser, 2891(1): 012025.
7. Ghoroubi R, Mercimek Ö, Özdemir A, Anil Ö. 2020. Experimental investigation of damaged square short RC columns with low slenderness retrofitted by CFRP strips under axial load. Structures, 28: 170-180.
8. Kagan GO. 2022. Numerical investigation on the new blast-resistant design of reinforced concrete structures. MSc Thesis, Sejong University, Graduate School, Seoul, South Korea.

9. Mercimek Ö, Anil Ö, Akkaya ST, Erdem RT, Çelik A, Kopraman Y, Abukan A. 2025. Experimental behavior of shear deficient RC beams strengthened with CFRP strips against reversible cyclic earthquake load. Struct Concr, 26(5): 6424-6447. https://doi.org/10.1002/suco.202401066
10. Mercimek Ö, Çelik A, Ghoroubi R, Anil Ö. 2024. Retrofitting of squat RC column by using TRM strip under axial load. Structures, 60: 105909.
11. Mercimek Ö, Ghoroubi R, Erbaş Y, Anil Ö. 2022a. Comparison of strengthening methods to improve punching behavior of two-way RC flat slabs. Structures, 46: 1495-1516.
12. Mercimek Ö, Ghoroubi R, Özdemir A, Anıl Ö, Baran M. 2022c. Punching behaviour of two-way RC slabs having different multiple opening locations and sizes strengthened with TRM. Structures, 42: 531-549.
13. Mercimek Ö, Ghoroubi R, Özdemir A, Anil Ö, Erbaş Y. 2022b. Investigation of strengthened low slenderness RC column by using textile reinforced mortar strip under axial load. Eng Struct, 259: 114191.
14. Mercimek Ö. 2023. Experimental and analytical investigation of the effects of anchor types and strip shapes on shear-deficient reinforced concrete beams strengthened with TRM versus FRP. Int J Civ Eng, 21(12): 1927-1950.
15. Shallan O, Eraky A, Sakr T, Emad S. 2014. Response of building structures to blast effects. Int J Eng Innov Technol (IJEIT), 4(2): 167-175.
16. Thai DK, Kim SE. 2018. Numerical investigation of the damage of RC members subjected to blast loading. Eng Fail Analy, 92: 350-367.
17. TRT Haber. 2020. Taş ocağındaki patlamada bir işçi öldü, 1 işçi de yaralandı. URL: https://www.trthaber.com/haber/turkiye/tas-ocagindaki-patlatmada-1-isci-oldu-1-isci-de-yaralandi-540303.html (erişim tarihi: 25 May 2025).
18. UFC 3-340-01. 2002. Design and Analysis of Hardened Structures to Conventional Weapons Effects. US Army Corps of Engineers, Washington DC, US.
19. Wang W, Zhang D, Lu F, Wang SC, Tang F. 2012. Experimental study on scaling the explosion resistance of a one-way square reinforced concrete slab under a close-in blast loading. Int J Impact Eng, 49: 497-504.
20. Yousafzai MA, Khan AH, Alam J, Ghani A. 2022. Numerical study on the behavior of reinforced concrete sandwich panels (RCSPs) under blast load. Res Square (preprint).
21. Zhang D, Yao S, Lu F, Chen X, Lin G, Wang W, Lin Y. 2013. Experimental study on scaling of RC beams under close-in blast loading. Eng Fail Anal, 33: 497-504.