Dynamic Blast-Response Analysis of Brick Masonry Walls: Simplified Micro-Modeling for Robust Structural Assessment
摘要
Blasting is a prevalent method employed in open-pit mines for coal extraction and overburden removal. While the interaction between blast waves and different structures has been extensively studied, the behavior of brick masonry structures under blast-induced ground vibrations (BIGV) remains largely unexplored. Explosives make experimental studies on the estimation of the behavior of brick masonry under blast vibration inherently dangerous. Therefore, numerical simulation emerges as a safer and more practical method for investigating these phenomena. Due to a change in the nature of the loading, the results of previous studies on terrorist blasts cannot be applied to this particular case; this warrants a dedicated novel study. This pioneering work employs a well-established simplified micro-modeling method for numerical simulation in finite element method (FEM) software ABAQUS CAE to comprehensively analyze the response of brick masonry structures located around the periphery of open cast mines subjected to BIGV. The modeling incorporates extended brick units and the plastic behavior of bricks is simulated using the Drucker-Prager model, while cohesive interaction properties replicate the behavior of mortar. Additionally, a non-linear dynamic analysis is performed to capture the behavior of brick masonry walls for bricks with different brick arrangement. The reliability and efficacy of this method have been well established in the scientific community for non-linear dynamic analysis of brick masonry. Considering the aforementioned validation and the established nature of numerical simulation techniques for brick masonry behavior analysis, this work stands as a self-contained study that does not require additional experimental validation. Preliminary findings reveal the initiation of crack propagation prior to reaching the yield stress, leading to the accumulation of plastic strain. Notably, diagonal shear cracks were observed to propagate from the central region of the wall towards its edges, shedding light on the intricate structural behavior of brick masonry walls under BIGV. The results obtained from this study will help include steel reinforcement in masonry, strategically placed to resist and redistribute the forces exerted during blast-induced ground vibrations. The reinforcement (bars or mesh) will improve structural integrity effectively control crack initiation and limiting its propagation path.