Behavior of suspended roofs under blast loading

This work deals with the nonlinear dynamic behavior of initially imperfect dissipative multi-suspended roof systems under blast loading. For various realistic combinations of geometrical, stiffness and damping parameters, the systems do not experience either snapping or large amplitude chaotic motions, contrary to findings reported for single and double suspension roof systems. A nonlinear analysis is employed to establish that global stability, being the main feature of multiple suspension roof systems, is captured by the proposed autonomous conservative models. Applying Lagrange's equations, the corresponding set of equations of motion for discrete models of multiple suspension roofs is obtained. Then, numerical integration of the equations of motion is performed via the Runge-Kutta scheme. The dynamic behavior of suspended roofs under blast loading is thoroughly examined for two cases of internal and external blast: source near the supports and source away from the supports. The problem is formulated in a simple manner that can be easily employed for preliminary design of multi-suspended roofs subjected to blast loads. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.