Existing Structures Evaluation. Part Iv. Two-Way Action Walls

摘要

The objective of the investigation was to develop an evaluation procedure applicable to existing NFSS-type structures and private homes for determining the blast protection afforded and the cost of structure modifications to improve the blast protection. The approach adopted was to formulate a procedure that would permit examining the response of a structure over a range of incident overpressure levels to determine the pressure at which failure of the various elements occurs. Past efforts in this program have been concerned with examining exterior walls, window glass, and steel frame connections. The phase of the work presented in this report extended the exterior wall response models previously developed by including exterior walls with two-way action and window openings. The evaluation procedure was also extended to include a probability distribution for each of the various 'unknown' wall and load parameters. Using the wall evaluation procedure, a limited sensitivity analysis was performed and a comparison was made of the available experimental information on dynamically loaded wall elements with theoretical predictions. (Author)