Experimental investigation on blast load resistance of reinforced concrete slabs retrofitted with epoxy resin impregnated glass fiber textiles

Blast mitigation of civil and transportation infrastructure is in focus due to the ever-present volatile geopolitical situation. Structures are not designed to withstand blast load, and in areas of an imminent attack, their sensitive elements require blast retrofit. The retrofit technique selected follows three criteria: speed and ease of application and relatively low price. Commercially available glass fibers, in the form of textiles and mats, were applied on RC slabs using epoxy resin. The test program consisted of two phases. The first phase consisted of laboratory four-point static bending tests of RC slabs to determine the feasibility and efficiency of devised retrofit. The second phase consisted of field blast tests of RC slabs to study blast behavior and determine the applicability of devised retrofits. Applied retrofit has been proved useful in reducing flying debris and maximum deflection in the tested range of explosion.