BLAST
RESISTANT
STRUCTURE
A detailed exploration of designing structures to withstand explosive
forces
PRESENTED BY: ABHISHEK KUMAR PRASAD
ROLL.NO.- 21101101015
DEPT: CIVIL ENGINEERING
INTRODUCTIO
N Moving
vehicle
The increase in the number of terrorist attacks especially in the attack
last few years has shown that the effect of blast loads on
buildings is a serious matter that should be taken into
Types
consideration in the design process. Disasters such as 9/11 Ballistic
attacks of
Stationary
vehicle
bomb
ATTACK and the terrorists bombings of the MURRAH blasts
FEDERAL BUILDING in Oklahoma City in 1995, demonstrated
the need for examination of behaviour of members subjected to
blast loading. Therefore it is important that structures should be Arsons
protected from the blast effects, which are likely to be the
targets of terrorist attacks.
By designing blast resistant structure damage to the assets, loss
of life and social panic are factors that have to be minimized if
the threat of terrorist action cannot be stopped. Designing the
structures to be fully blast resistant is not an realistic and
economical option, however current engineering and
architectural knowledge can enhance the new and existing
buildings to mitigate the effects of an explosion.
A bomb explosion within or immediately nearby a building can cause
catastrophic damage on :
• Building's external and internal structural frames.
• Collapsing of walls.
• Blowing out of large expanses of windows.
• Shutting down of critical life-safety systems.
Loss of life and injuries to occupants can result from many causes including:
• Direct blast-effects
• Structural collapse
• Debris impact
• Fire effects
• Smoke effects
PRINCIPLES OF BLAST RESISTANT
DESIGN
Maintaining Safe Stand-off Zones: Creating a safe distance
01 between potential blast locations and the structure to reduce the
impact of the blast.
Sustaining Bomb Damage without Progressive Collapse:
02 Designing structures to withstand localized damage without
causing the entire structure to collapse.
Controlling Blast Energy: Using structural elements like shear
03 walls and bracing to absorb and dissipate blast energy, preventing
its concentration on vulnerable areas.
Using Impact-Resistant Materials: Utilizing materials like high-
04 strength concrete and steel with enhanced blast resistance.
Minimizing Flying Debris: Using materials and design features
05 to reduce the formation and dispersal of debris, which can cause
injury and damage.
BLAST LOAD:
Blast loads are
DEFINITION
dynamic pressure changes caused by explosions, creating
shock waves that can exert significant forces on structures, resulting in
potential failure and catastrophic damage.
This shock wave consists of:
Peak Overpressure: The maximum pressure above atmospheric pressure.
Impulse: The time-integrated pressure that represents the total energy
imparted to a structure.
A part of energy is converted into thermal energy(flash) and a part is coupled as
air blast and shock waves which expand radially as shown in the figure below:
Thermal
Energy
Radiatio
n
Ground Air
shock
Blast blast
load
Secondar
Primary
y
Fragmen
Fragmen
ts
ts
EFFECT OF BLAST LOAD ON STRUCTURES:
Blast effects on building structures can be classified as: Primary effects and
Secondary effects.
Primary effects include:
• Air Blast : Causes a pressure increase of the air surrounding building
structure and blast wind.
• Ground Shock: Horizontal vibration of the ground, similar to earthquake
but with different frequency.
• Heat: Explosive energy is converted to heat resulting in weakening of
building material due to increased temperature.
• Primary Fragments: Fragments from explosive sources are thrown into
the air at high velocity.
Secondary Effects include:
• Secondary Effects can be fragments hitting people or buildings near the
explosion.
• They are not a direct threat to the bearing structure of the building, which
is usually covered by a facade.
• However, they may destroy windows and glass facades and cause victims
among inhabitants and passers-by.
TYPES OF
EXPLOSION
Explosion can be classified into two following main group on the basis of confinement
of the explosive charge:
Unconfined Explosion: Unconfined explosions can occur as air bursts or surface
bursts. In an air burst, detonation occurs above ground, creating an initial shock
wave that reflects off the ground to form a Mach stem before reaching a structure. In
contrast, a surface burst occurs on or near the ground, where the initial shock wave
is immediately amplified by ground reflection, merging with the reflected wave into a
single wave at the detonation point. Most terrorist attacks in urban areas involve
surface bursts due to the placement of devices on or near the ground.
Confined Explosion: When an explosion occurs within a building, the pressures
associated with the initial shock front will be high and therefore will be amplified
by their reflections within the building. This type of explosion is called a confined
explosion. In addition and depending on the degree of confinement, the effects of
the high temperatures and accumulation of gaseous products produced by the
chemical reaction involved in the explosion will cause additional pressures and
increase the load duration within the structure. Depending on the extent of
venting, various types of confined explosions are possible.
EXPLOSION
PROCESS
An explosion occurs when a material undergoes a rapid chemical reaction, releasing high-
pressure gases at extreme temperatures. These gases expand rapidly, creating a blast
wave that compresses surrounding air and propagates at supersonic speeds, diminishing in
intensity as it moves outward. However, in tunnels or confined spaces, the blast wave
maintains its intensity over longer distances. Near the explosion source, intense thermal
and pressure loads are generated.
Blast effects are typically categorized into:
Air shock wave: Sudden overpressure above ambient pressure.
Dynamic pressure: Air movement from expanding gases.
Ground shock wave: Rapid compression of the ground.
The air shock wave causes an initial overpressure, followed by a negative pressure phase
as air rushes back toward the explosion centre. This cycle ends when equilibrium is
restored.
As a rough approximation, 1kg of explosive produces about 1m3 of gas. As this gas
expands, its act on the air surrounding the source of the explosion causes it to move and
increase in pressure. The movement of the displaced air may affect nearby objects and
• These waves travels away
from explosion faster than
the speed of sound poses
threat in close location.
• Shock front is similar to
“moving wall" of highly
compressed air accompanied
by blast wind.
• It causes sudden rise in
ambient pressure. This is
called 'over-pressure'.
Pressure caused by blast
wind is called 'dynamic
pressure’.
• Both these pressure decay
rapidly with time.
• Dynamic pressure and
overpressure sinks below
ambient pressure before
equalising back to
Nature of blast wave in air:
The pressure–time history of a typical blast wave can be described by
exponential functions such as the one given by the Friedlander equation,
which plots pressure P(t) in terms of time (t):
where
b is the waveform parameter, which is a function of the peak
overpressure, Ps,
P0 is the atmospheric pressure and
Ts is the duration of the positive phase
It should be noted that this equation is strictly empirical (i.e. it provides a
good fit to observed experimental data) rather than theoretical.
ARCHITECTURAL ASPECT OF BLAST RESISTANT BUILDING
DESIGN
1) Planning and layout:
To reduce the risk of terrorist attacks, it is crucial to design buildings with blast
protection for structural and non-structural members and strategically locate shelter
areas. For external threats, the primary goal is to maximize standoff distance between
the building and potential explosives. In dense urban areas where repositioning
buildings is limited, small standoff distances should be secured using bollards, trees,
and street furniture as protective barriers. Below figure shows a possible external
layout for blast safe planning.
2) Structural form and internal layout:
Structural form significantly affects blast loads on buildings. Arches and domes perform
better under blast loads than cubical forms, while complex shapes like U-shaped plans or
projections (e.g., cantilevered roofs) amplify reflections and should be avoided. Single-story
buildings are generally more blast-resistant than multi-story structures. Partially or fully
embedded buildings benefit from the soil’s shock-absorbing properties, offering added
protection, especially against nuclear blasts.
The internal layout should prioritize isolating high-value areas from threats, maximizing
distance between external threats and critical assets. Foyer areas should have reinforced
concrete walls, double doors arranged off-axis to limit blast entry. Building entrances must be
controlled and physically separated from internal areas using robust construction.
Underpasses and internal parking should be avoided unless strictly controlled for security.
3) Bomb shelter areas: Bomb shelter areas are designated spaces within buildings
offering protection during explosions. They should be large enough for all personnel,
allow easy access, and be located away from windows, doors, external walls, and weak
roofs. Suitable areas include spaces enclosed by full-height concrete walls. Basements
may be suitable but must be structurally safe to avoid collapse.
The functional aspects of a bomb shelter area should accommodate all the occupants
of the building; provide adequate communication with outside; provide sufficient
ventilation and sanitation; limit the blast pressure to less than the ear drum rupture
pressure and provide alternative means of escape.
4) Glazing and cladding: Shattered glass causes many injuries in urban explosions.
Using laminated glass is the most effective way to reduce this risk, while anti-shatter
films on glazing also help.
For cladding, design should aim to:
• Minimize glazing to reduce damage.
• Ensure cladding is securely fixed to the structure with accessible fixings for quick
inspection after a blast.
STRUCTURAL ASPECT OF BLAST RESISTANT BUILDING DESIGN
Blast loading, though rare, must be considered in structural design alongside other
loads, typically through an adequate load factor.
Blast-resistant design follows limit state approaches:
Collapse limit design ensures the structure has enough ductility to absorb blast
energy and prevent overall collapse, focusing on beam-to-column connections to
transfer high forces and moments. While the structure may not collapse, it may
become non-functional.
Functionality limit design aims for the building to remain operational post-blast,
limiting damage to non-structural elements like windows or cladding, which must be
designed for ductility.
Sequence of air-blast
effect
Frame buildings designed for gravity, wind, and seismic loads often show deficiencies
under blast loading, notably in beam-to-column connections and their inability to
handle load reversal.
Blast-induced forces, comprising horizontal components from walls and vertical
components from differential floor loading, can overstress connections. Enhancing
connection robustness is critical to maintaining frame integrity post-explosion.
Standard static-load connection details, particularly in steelwork, often prove
inadequate for blast resistance. It’s essential for beam-to-column connections to
tolerate inelastic deformations, enabling moment frames to remain functional after a
blast.
For reinforced concrete, improvements like extra links and starter bars in connections,
Reinforced
as shown inconcrete columns
Figure, help arecollapse
reduce key risk and damage from load reversals.
elements requiring protection, often
achieved through wrapping with
steel belts or CFRP to enhance blast
resistance.
Ductile Detailing of
Reinforcements
• Blast-resistant design philosophy allows structural elements to undergo
large inelastic (plastic) deformations in response to blast loading.
• A ductile structure that undergoes large deformations without failure can
absorb much more energy than a brittle structure of the same static
strength.
• Confinement is crucial for increasing the ductility and strength of concrete,
especially under high stress conditions like those experienced in blast
events. This is often achieved through the use of closely spaced stirrups or
hoops, which restrict concrete from expanding and cracking under load.
• In blast-resistant designs, it's crucial to minimize the use of other brittle
materials, such as certain types of concrete mixes or unconfined masonry,
which can shatter under high stress and lead to catastrophic failures .
CONCLUSION
It is not practical to design buildings to withstand any conventional terrorist
attack.
It is possible to improve the performance of structures should one occur in the
form of an external explosion.
Design process to ensure that appropriate threat conditions and levels of
protection are being incorporated.
Maintaining safe stand-off zones can help minimize the impact of explosions
on structures.
Incorporating redundancy in structural elements can ensure that if one part
fails, others can take up the load.
Ductile structural elements can absorb energy and deform without collapsing
under blast loads.
It is important that high risk target such as military station, infrastructure and
High security building should be designed as blast resistant.
REFERENCE
S
• Koccaz Z. (2008) Architectural and Structural Design of Blast Resistant
Building, MSc Thesis, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey.
• Mays G.C., Smith P.D. (1995). Blast Effects on Buildings, Thomas Telford
Publications, Heron Quay, London.
• Structural design for external terrorist bomb attack by Jon A. Schmidt
structure magazine march issue (2003)
• Design of structure for blast related progressive collapse resistance by
Ronald Hamburger and Andrew Whittaker
• IS- 4991(1968) Criteria for blast resistant design of structures for
explosion above ground.
THANK YOU!
