Innovative energy dissipative bracket for facade blast enhancement design

Glazed elements have always been a critical component for hazard mitigation during a blast event against soft targets, since they are considered as the weak-link in the structure. Recent blast events have indicated that terrorists have adapted their operations and targets in order to maximise hazard, which has led to an increased interest in establishing guidelines for safe glazing design. Notable examples are the UK design guidelines for crowded places, compromising between safety, sustainability and aesthetic. This paper describes the possibility to achieve a resilient urban environment without significant impact on the aesthetic aspects of building design, where glass is still the dominant element of the architectural scope. Innovative façade components, such as energy dissipative curtain walling brackets, have been developed to enhance the blast performance of the façade system. Whilst applicable to blast enhanced façade systems, the dissipative bracket system also has the potential to upgrade conventional glass façade systems to achieve high blast protection levels. During the design phase, the development of a reliable calculation tool is fundamental to assess façade behaviour under the blast loading. Numerical tools consider existing façade capacity to resist blast loads and take into account dynamic interactions between all façade elements, including the deformable brackets. Full scale experimental facade testing has been conducted and confirms expectations in terms of benefits on the facade deformations through the adoption of dissipative brackets.

LUMANTARA Raymond;  ZOBEC Marc;  LORI Guido;  LARCHER Martin;  MORISON Colin; 

2018-10-12

cipremier

JRC106692

9789811128493 (online),   

http://www.nlb.gov.sg/biblio/202999573,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC106692,