Chapter 6 Measures for Soft Target Protection Inspired in Other Blast Vulnerable Structures

摘要

The paper deals with an improvement of soft target safety. This need is recognized in Europe due to very scarce literature on this topic and due to a rising trend of terrorist attacks on unprotected targets. The effort is made to introduce the existing blast protection practices adopted by oil and gas sector. Typical type of explosion related to processing of oil and gas is described as well as traditional mitigation measures. The special attention is given to structural mitigation measure known as blast wall. The design approaches available in design guides and recommended practices are introduced and the benefit of finite element modeling is discussed. Furthermore, the commonly applied strategies for protection of soft targets are presented. Strengths and weaknesses of use of blast walls for soft target protection are evaluated. Some recent findings of other authors are presented, notably about behavior of panels with innovative typologies and panels made of aluminum, stainless steel and composites. The recently developed solution used in design of objects in seismically active areas is presented for improvement of blast wall energy dissipation. The proposed solution is suggested for use in facade systems, temporary protection of public spaces or multipurpose interior walls that provide protection against fire and blast to evacuation routes and muster zones.