Displacement-Based Blast-Resistant Evaluation for Simply-Supported RC Girder Bridge Under Below-Deck Explosions

The safety of bridges is being jeopardized by a growing incidence of deliberate and inadvertent explosions. Numerical simulations were used to conduct a blast-resistant evaluation for a simply-supported RC girder bridge under below-deck explosions in this chapter. Firstly, the proposed FE analytical technique was confirmed by comparing it with three sets of field explosion tests conducted on reduced-scale RC piers/columns and bridges. Next, a precise FE model of a standard two-span prototype bridge was created, and 24 explosive scenarios were simulated using numerical methods. These scenarios were based on three specific explosion sources identified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Further investigation was conducted to analyze the impact of different pier designs on both the localized damage of the pier and the overall reaction of the bridge. Ultimately, a direct correlation was established between the reduction in mass of the pier and the vertical displacement of the bridge deck. As a result, it is now possible to assess the traffic capacity of a post-blast bridge by analyzing a single pier instead of the entire bridge.