Pre-cast Concrete in Blast Resistant Construction

Traditional concrete blast resistant structures are poured-in-place construction. Modem conventional buildings are often pre-cast construction due to economy of time and in some cases labor costs. The questions is, can pre-cast construction be appropriate for blast resistant facilities The answer is yes, particularly in far range design. Buildings located at barricaded intraline distance out to inhabited building distance are all candidates for pre-cast concrete construction. These distances correspond to K9 W13 and K40 W13 which are at 12 psi and 1.2 psi respectively. At K9 charge quantities of 1,000 lbs or less and at K40 charge quantities of 100,000 lbs or less are applicable limits. In this paper we review precast construction, describing different approaches taken in past designs and identifying loads which should be addressed during analysis. Particular attention is given in the paper to connection details and requirements. Connection design is an important aspect in blast resistant pre-cast construction. The topics of shear wall analysis and building overturing are also addressed. It is the conclusion of this paper that pre-cast construction is a viable alternative for blast resistant facilities. Also, pre-cast construction for blast design is not dissimilar from conventional type buildings, except that heavier member sizes and improved connection details are called out.