Blast Response of 60 MPa Reinforced Concrete Slabs Subjected to Non-Confined Plastic Explosives

Multiple blast tests were conducted on RC slabs at the Science and Technology Aerospace Department in Brazil. This paper presents the description of the experimental test set-up, instrumentation and results from a sub-set of the tests conducted on four 60 MPa concrete slabs with reinforcement ratios of 0.25% in two-way. In addition, one of the four slabs was retrofitted with 50 mm thick foam to determine if the foam has the capacity to reduce the blast response of the slab. The slabs were simply supported on two sides and the explosive was detonated at 2 m stand-off distance. The explosive charge was non-confined C4 plastic explosive cylinder. The equivalent TNT mass of the explosive ranges by 2.6-2.76 kg. Accelerometers, displacement and pressure gages were used to measure blast wave parameters and global response of the slabs. A high-speed digital camera in conjunction with a rugged notebook was used to capture images. Both qualitative and quantitative results are included. The foam on slab 3 varied the pattern of pressure recorded by the sensors and induced higher displacement, acceleration and linear momentum.