Experimental and Numerical Investigations of Shock Wave Attenuation Effects Using Protective Barriers Made of Steel Posts

The use of protective barriers is one of the most common approaches to protect buildings and their occupants against blast and vehicle impacts. They increase the stand-off distance between the explosive source and the building. However, the protection capabilities of barriers with openings have not yet been thoroughly studied. The present paper discusses the shock wave attenuation effect of protective barriers made of steel posts with a hollow cross section. In the experiments, the steel posts are located at a distance of 5m to the building to be protected. Prior to the experiments, numerical models were developed to predict the blast loads numerically. Overpressure-time history measurements (side-on and reflected) were made at various distances in front of and behind the barrier. The experimental data were used to, for example, validate the numerical models. The experimental and numerical results showed that barriers can reduce the blast loads relative to the scenario in which no barriers were present. Considerable reductions in peak side-on and reflected overpressure and impulse were observed behind the barriers. Furthermore, after validation, parametric studies are carried out to investigate the influence of further parameters on the overpressure reduction behind the barriers, that is, the number of posts or the spacing between posts, the cross-sectional shapes of posts, and the arrangement of posts (single-layer or multilayer, aligned or staggered). These studies showed that a barrier without openings is not always necessary to offer the desired protection because barriers with openings can also show satisfactory results. Hence, the necessary amount of material (steel in this case) and, thus, the construction cost can be considerably reduced.