Modeling the behavior of reinforced concrete slabs subjected to impact

In recent years, safety of nuclear power plants against external missile impacts such as those due to tornadoes has gained significant attention. In many cases, advanced simulation tools based on finite element method (FEM) or smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH) are being employed to simulate missile impact behavior and to evaluate vulnerability of nuclear facilities. Due to the complex nature of impact behavior, it requires appropriate calibration of parameters in the advanced simulation models that are used to represent them. In this manuscript, we propose a novel approach for modeling the behavior of reinforced concrete slabs subjected to missile impact. First, we use data from one experimental study to develop and calibrate various models needed to conduct the finite element analysis. Then, the calibrated models are used to conduct a predictive analysis for a different experimental setup. A comparison of the experiment and the analytical results for the new test provides confidence in the predictive capability of the simulation approach with calibrated parameters.