Shock Tunnel Tests of Arched Wall Panels
Abstract
The objectives of this program were to determine the failure strengths of wall panels typical of those found in existing buildings, and in particular wall panels found in those buildings which contain designated fallout shelter spaces. Brittle materials, such as brick and concrete block, were the primary materials investigated. Fullscale walls (81/2 ft by 12 ft), with and without window or door openings, were exposed to air-blast waves in the URS shock Tunnel. Concurrently, an analytical study of the mechanical properties of these construction materials was undertaken to link test results with prediction theory. It was found that walls which were fitted very snugly into a frame (rigid arching) were considerably stronger than no-arched (e.e., gapped) walls (with failure overpressure four-to-five times those from non-arched walls), but not as strong as previous theory would suggest. Walls with a small gap, however, were only slightly stronger than non-arched walls.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1974
- Accession Number
- ADA006682
Entities
People
- Bernard Gabrielsen
- C. Wilton