State of the art for enhancing the blast resistance of reinforced concrete columns with fiber-reinforced plastic1.

Protective design has become a chief concern in the design of some bridges and buildings, particularly related to the requirement that such facilities offer protection from accidental or malicious explosions. In this paper, the enhancement of the blast-resistance capability of reinforced concrete columns using FRP (fiber-reinforced plastic) is examined as a key element in upgrading the protective design of existing buildings and bridges. In this paper, the basic behaviors that need to be considered in blast effects analysis of RC columns for vehicle bomb threats are described. The ability of FRP to address these sorts of risks is shown through the analysis and test results presented. Three crucial points are made: (1) FRP offers a remarkable capability to enhance the blast resistance of existing RC columns, (2) assessing the residual capacity of large columns struck by a blast loading involves consideration of the effects of material damage, and (3) physics-based material models are often needed to capture the concrete behaviors engendered by intense blast loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]