Structural Response of Tall RC Systems under Blast Pressure Loading

Abstract:

Tall buildings with different structural systems can be exposed to explosive loading, and a proper understanding of their structural response under blast loads is crucial for robust structural design. This study investigates the structural performance of selected tall structural systems - shear wall frame, outrigger, and tube-in-tube systems - under different blast load effects. Nonlinear finite element analysis was performed using commercial package ETABS with blast loads applied as time-history functions for various charge weights and standoff distances. Structural responses were compared in terms of displacement and inter-story drift. Results showed that the tube-in-tube system performed relatively better in terms of displacement and inter-story drift as standoff distance increased and charge weight was constant. When explosive charge weights increased, and standoff distance was constant, the tube-in-tube system displayed better performance with respect to displacement, whereas the outrigger system was the optimum with reference to inter-story drift. The overall study indicates that selecting a tall structural system for better resilience against blast loading depends on specific aspects of structural behavior, identified as the required criteria.

• Periodical: Key Engineering Materials (Volume 1015)
• Pages: 71-79
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-MEA0aR
• Online since: June 2025
• Authors: Abla Krouma*, Zubair Imam Syed
• Keywords: Blast Loads, Explosive Charge Weight, Outrigger System, Standoff Distance, Structural Systems, Tube-in-Tube System

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