Monte Carlo Analysis for the Blast Resistance Design and Assessment of a Reinforced Concrete Wall

This paper presents a probabilistic approach for the design and assessment of structural elements under blast loads. The procedure is based on the broadly adopted fragility analysis method, widely implemented in Performance-Based Design procedures for structures subjected to natural hazards such as earthquake and wind. A discussion on the uncertainties related to blast engineering problems and on their implementation in a Performance-Based Design approach is presented, followed by an application aiming at the blast protective performance assessment of panels. The non-linear dynamic analyses are carried out by the equivalent non-linear single degree of freedom (SDOF) method. Consequently, the probability failure is computed using both Monte Carlo simulations and fragility curves.