Title: Response of Reinforced Concrete Columns against Hypervelocity Impacts by EFPs

Author(s): Alex Remennikov and Edward Chern Jinn Gan

Publication: Symposium Paper

Volume: 347

Issue:

Appears on pages(s): 138-154

Keywords: explosively formed projectiles, improvised explosive devices, steel jacketing, terminal ballistic, Ansys, smooth particle hydrodynamics

DOI: 10.14359/51732662

Date: 3/1/2021

Abstract:

Explosively formed projectiles (EFP) are one of the most severe explosive and impact loading threats for civil infrastructure and military vehicles. EFP warheads are commonly found in conventional anti-tank weapons. They are also regularly used by insurgent forces against armoured vehicles in conflict-affected countries. The energy of EFPs is significantly greater than that of large calibre ammunition, such that a threat is posed to the occupants of armoured vehicles both by perforation and spalling of the armour. This paper aims to present new experimental results of the hypervelocity impact of EFPs on reinforced concrete (RC) columns to demonstrate the vulnerability of infrastructure to EFP improvised explosive devices (EFP-IEDs). As a possible mitigation measure of threat against EFPs, an RC column was retrofitted with a steel-jacket. The ability of a steel-jacket to minimise RC column damage was evaluated where it was found to minimise damage to the RC column and contain concrete fragments. Threedimensional numerical simulations were performed to elucidate the different stages of EFP interaction with the RC columns. No previously published results on the EFP terminal ballistic performance of RC columns have been found in the open literature.