| dc.description.abstract | Band-beam slab" or "slab with a shallow beam" are widely used in contemporary multi-level
building construction and are particularly common in lower levels and basements. These slabs
are favoured for conserving space and reducing floor-to-floor heights. Consequently, under standing how band-beam slabs perform when exposed to close-range detonations is essential for
critical infrastructure projects and has not been previously studied in the literature. With recent
terrorism events where portable explosives ranging from 2 kg to 10 kg are more common, a close in detonation can significantly affect the structural integrity of civil infrastructure. Thus, this
study aims to examine the behaviour of band-beam slabs when subjected to close-in detonations.
The paper presents both experimental results and validated Arbitrary Lagrange-Euler (ALE) nu merical framework to study and assess the damage of the slabs under various loading conditions
and slab designs. A total of six band-bean panels are subjected to close-in detonations of
Composition-4 (C4) charges. Initially, validation of the numerical modelling is performed where
damage in terms of spall crater sizing and crack patterns are observed. It was shown that the
numerical modelling technique could predict crater sizes within 15 % of the area, and crack
propagation, including patterns, was appropriately captured. Through numerical modelling
parametrisations, it was shown that confinement detailing, such as the use of C-hooks, close
spacing of shear reinforcement, and additional reinforcement in the beam-to-slab transition zone
can drastically improve the performance of the panel in terms of spalling damage and deflections.
Finally, it was shown that the spalling, global and local deformation can be minimised with
appropriate detailing. Design recommendations for additional reinforcement to control and
mitigate spalling, cracking and scabbing were proposed. | en_US |
