Experimental investigations of shock wave attenuation performance using protective barriers made of woven wire mesh

The use of protective barriers is one of the most common approaches to protect buildings and their occupants against blast and vehicle impact. However, the protection capabilities of metallic barriers, which are permeable to air, have not been thoroughly studied. This paper investigates experimentally the shock wave attenuation performance of protective barriers made of woven wire mesh. In the experiments, the woven wire mesh was attached to a steel frame construction and located about 5 m in front of the building to be protected. Pressure measurements were made at various distances in front of and behind the barrier. For comparison, a reference configuration was also tested, in which only the steel frame construction was present. Due to the complicated flow pattern immediately behind the woven wire mesh, the peak overpressure at gauge ps2 (0.5 m behind the woven wire mesh) was increased by 4.5%. Besides this exception of overpressure increase at gauge ps2, the protective barriers made of woven wire mesh reduce the overpressure (impulse) at the gauges employed in the experiments by 1.3% 6.6% (0.2% 4.6%) compared to the reference configuration. Although these reduction factors are less impressive than a solid barrier, the necessary amount of construction material can be significantly reduced. Furthermore, they can be integrated within urban areas as an innovative solution having an appealing design and hidden protective properties. Thus, public life can be influenced by these measures as little as possible.