ABSTRACT
There are instances where reinforced concrete structures designed for static loads are subjected to accidental or deliberate impact or blast loads because of industrial or transportation accidents, military or terrorist activities. Analysis and design of structures for such events require realistic assessment of the ultimate impact resistance and a mode of failure of the structure. In this paper, a series of falling weight impact tests on conventionally designed reinforced concrete columns are described. The behaviour of quarter-scale reinforced concrete columns under static and impact loads is presented. An impact load was applied at the mid-height of the columns by a free-falling 160 kg mass using a drop hammer test rig. The impact force, the peak mid-span deflection, and the reaction forces were recorded using a high-speed digital storage oscilloscope. The aim of the static tests was to compare the load-deflection and cracking response of the columns under static and impact loads and to determine the resistance functions for shear deficient reinforced concrete columns to be used in a single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) simulation of the response of conventional concrete columns subjected to impact and blast loads.
