Numerical analysis of safety distances of reinforced concrete structures subjected to blast loading by Perform-3D

Purpose The purpose of this study is to develop the performance model of buildings designed by the seismic code 2800 against the explosion wave and determination of safety distance. Design/methodology/approach Analytical models of three-, five- and ten story structures that used moment frame system and also a ten-storey building with shaer wall designed based on the seismic code 2800 in term of design and nonlinear analysis were generated for use with Perform-3D software. Extensive parametric analysis is executed on different explosive loads with 100, 500, 1,000 and 5,000 Trinitrotoluene, soil types 2 and 3, models eqs and eqbs, the number of story buildings and the effect of shear wall to determine the safety distance based on collapse threshold performance (CP) level criterion. Findings The results indicate that by increasing the explosives mass from 100 to 5,000 kg and the number of the stories three and five induce increasing the safety distance of CP level in buildings to 4.5 meter and 3 meter times, respectively. Ten-story structures modeled on shear wall show very good performance because of stiffness rising and high energy absorption. In addition, by increasing the stories from five to ten, the amount of the safety distance reduces the CP level to 3.9 meter times. Originality/value The results of this work are meaningful for explosion-resistant design and damage assessments of reinforced concrete moment framed structures subjected to explosive explosion.