Exponent Engineer Co-Authors Blast Resistant Design Guide. 

July 28, 2009

Dr. Dennis McCann, Senior Managing Engineer in the Wood Dale, IL office has co-authored the newly-released book entitled, “Blast Resistant Design Guide for Reinforced Concrete Structures”.  It is published by the Portland Cement Association. 

Abstract:

For decades, blast-resistant design was applied almost exclusively to military facilities.  Since the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, however, concern for blast resistance has spread to other sectors as well.  These and recent experiences such as the September 11 attacks have taught us that explosive blast, whether accidentally or intentionally caused, is another force that needs to be taken into account. 

This guide, which includes a foreword by Dr. Gene Corley, provides structural engineers with a practical treatment of the design of cast-in-place reinforced concrete structures to resist the effects of blast loads.  Readers will be able to understand the principles of blast-resistant design, determine the kind and degree of resistance a structure needs, and specify the materials and details required to provide it.  Guidelines are provided for detailing requirements for blast resistance and detailing philosophy and reinforcement splicing are introduced for columns, beams, slabs, walls and joints.  It includes a chapter devoted to design methods that can protect structures against progressive collapse. 

Two federal agencies, the General Services Administration and the Department of Defense, have developed design approaches that reflect lessons learned from studying the performance of Oklahoma City’s Murrah Federal Building after the 1995 truck bombing.  This design guide describes both the GSA and DoD design approaches and includes a detailed example of GSA’s alternate path analysis.  The guide is a practical manual for the designers of low-rise concrete structures.