Numerical analysis and investigation of the behavior of concrete slabs reinforced with perforated steel plates under the effect of explosive loads

Nowadays, the significance of structural design is increasingly considered especially in the structure of important buildings against blast loads due to the growing number of military attacks on structures and advancements in armament technologies. In this order, some research has been always conducted to analyze structures confronting blast loads and achieve methods for reducing the related damages. In the present research, a novel method is also presented for the reinforcement of concrete slabs and consequently, the improvement of slabs’ performance under blast loads. Instead of using steel rebars, perforated steel plates are utilized for reinforcing the concrete slabs in this method. In order to investigate this system of reinforcing the concrete slabs under blast loads, models of concrete slabs reinforced by perforated plates and by rebars with an equal volumetric percentage of steel were simulated and evaluated in the ABAQUS software under two blasting scenarios. The findings illustrated that the center of slabs has had less displacement in concrete slabs reinforced with perforated plates under blast loading caused in the air. However, some damages have been seen on the backside of those slabs as local punches in the center of the slab under the blast loading. These slabs are more prone to concrete scaling compared to the slabs reinforced by rebar. In this regard, there was an attempt to use corrugated perforated plates or utilize perforated steel ribs as stiffeners so that the interaction between concrete and the reinforcing system of the slab increases. The results also demonstrated that utilizing perforated plates with some perforated ribs can passably reduce the displacement of the slab’s center and also the damage in the slab tremendously improves.