Structural blast design

Blast design is a necessary part of design for more buildings in the United States. Blast design is no longer limited to underground shelters and sensitive military sites, buildings used by the general public daily must also have satisfactory blast protection. Integrating blast design into existing norms for structural design is a challenge but it is achievable. By looking at the experience of structural designers in Israel over the past several decades it is possible to see successful integration of blast design into mainstream buildings. Israel's design techniques and policies can be used as a paradigm for the United States. A structural design for a performing arts center is analyzed within the context of blast design. Improvements in the design for blast protection are suggested. These design improvements include camouflaging the structural system, using blast resistant glass, reinforced concrete, and hardening of critical structural members. It is shown that integration of blast design into modem mainstream structures is achievable. New techniques and creative problem solving must be used to adapt blast design to work alongside current design trends.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2004

Author dc:creator

• Kieval, Tamar S. (Tamar Shoshana), 1980-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Jerome J. Connor.

• Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/29414

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/29414