Abstract:
After attack on World Trade Centre Towers on September 11, 2001 in New York, world has seen a paradigm shift towards protecting the infrastructure from such terrorists attacks. Targets of terrorists attacks have been usually focused where potential losses to human and economic activity is substantially high. The use of vehicle bombs and improvised explosive devices to attack city centers has been a feature of campaigns by terrorist organizations around the world. A blast event in the vicinity of the building can damage building's structural and non structural members. This may include collapse of exterior walls, damaging of window systems, and closure of critical facilities. Loss to human life and casualties to occupants can be due to many reasons; it may include direct blast-effects, progressive collapse of structure, debris outfall, fire, and smoke. The secondary hazard can combine to inhibit or prevent timely evacuation, thereby contributing secondary damage or loss. Moreover, major disasters resulting from blast detonation result in large dynamic loads, which are usually greater than the design loads of any structure. Demands of such extreme loading conditions has put the engineers and designers to make concerted efforts during the past three decades towards strengthening measures for the structures to resist blast loads. The analysis and design of structures against blast loading therefore require a detailed understanding of blast phenomena and the dynamic response of various structural elements.
