There is a need to protect the nation’s bridges from intentional or accidental explosions. The impacts of these loads on buildings and military structures have been studied for many years, but design for resistance to explosive effects is a new area for bridge engineers. Much research and development has been done on the effectiveness of seismic strengthening details for buildings and bridges, and it has been suggested that these or similar bridge details, used in new construction or as a retrofit, may serve also to resist explosions and provide a predictable level of protection. There is a need to meld knowledge of seismic and extreme-event design for new and existing structures with the equally well-known field of blast-resistant design and the relatively new field of highway bridge blast-resistant design. Under NCHRP Project 12-72, the research team was selected to develop design and detailing guidelines for improving the structural performance and resistance to explosive effects for new and existing bridges. This research was performed under NCHRP Project 12-72 by the University of Texas at Austin with the assistance of Protection Engineering Consultants and Modjeski and Masters, Inc. The report fully documents the research leading to the developed design and detailing guidelines for blast-resistant reinforced concrete bridge columns. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting