Nanoparticle Reinforced Polymer for Blast Protection of Unreinforced Masonry Wall: Laboratory Blast Load Simulation and Design Models
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 137, Issue 10
Abstract
This paper investigates the performance of a new generation of nanoparticle-reinforced polymeric materials as an alternative to fiber-reinforced polymer for the protection of masonry structures against blast loads. The nanoparticles used in this study include exfoliated graphene nano platelets (XGnP) and polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS). The polymer is polyurea. A one-quarter scale physical model of unreinforced masonry walls, spray coated with the nanoparticle-reinforced polymers, are subjected to blast load in the Engineer Research and Development Center Blast Load Simulator facility. POSS-reinforced polyurea is observed to significantly enhance the performance of masonry walls sustaining blast loads, whereas XGnP reinforcement has only marginal improvement. To build a numerical simulation and engineering design capability, computer models using ANSYS AUTODYN and simplified analytical models are constructed. These models fairly accurately predict the observed laboratory tests.
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Acknowledgments
The preparation of the XGnP reinforced polyurea and the consultation on material properties provided by Dr. Larry Drzal of Michigan State University and XG-Sciences is deeply appreciated. The preparation of POSS reinforced polyurea and consultation provided by Drs. Joe Lichtenhan and Bruce Fu of Hybrid Plastics is also gratefully acknowledged.
This work was partially supported by the funding received under a subcontract from the Department of Homeland Security-Sponsored Southeast Region Research Initiative (SERRI) at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 137 • Issue 10 • October 2011
Pages: 1193 - 1204
Copyright
© 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 12, 2009
Accepted: Dec 15, 2010
Published online: Dec 17, 2010
Published in print: Oct 1, 2011
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