Response and Damage Level of Confined Masonry Walls to Blast

Abstract

The exterior walls of conventional structures are often constructed using masonry units. A recently completed series of physical experiments were conducted in a specially designed test setup to determine the response and damage level of 12-scale RC frame confined masonry walls to the detonation of explosive charges. Test data, high-speed video, and post-test inspection of the experiments were used to assess the response of confined masonry walls. A high fidelity FE models with distinct modelling of bricks, mortar and steel tie bars are also developed in LS-DYNA to simulate these experiments. The masonry bricks and mortar have been lumped in continuum elements. The input data is based on experimental results or inverse fitting, with a clear identification and justification. The accuracy of the FE model in predicting the field blast tests is verified with the test data. The calibrated FE model is used to perform intensive numerical simulations to investigate the displacement response, failure modes and fragmentation that is detailed damage level of confined masonry infill walls. Based on the experiment results and numerical analyses, four disaster damage levels to blast are finally identified and categorized according to the blast scaled distance.