Reinforced concrete structures under hard projectile impact: penetration and perforation resistance

Reinforced concrete (RC) structures are mainly designed to withstand both static and dynamic loads. However, due to the highly nonlinear behavior of RC structures subjected to extreme dynamic loads, these structures have a very complex damage behavior under dynamic impact loading. In fact, current existing methods for damage-simulation and prediction are generally based on either empirical data, simplified mechanical approaches or complex numerical simulations mainly using the finite element method. In this regard, empirical and semi-empirical models can be considered to calculate the load-bearing capacity in a simplified way with only a few input parameters. Hence, using current experimental test data, this paper aims to analyze and assess existing empirical and semi-analytical approaches that are established in standards and guidelines. Accordingly, a functional relationship in terms of an impact factor is found. Based on the obtained results, different approaches are also developed to describe the resistance to projectile penetration of RC structures as well as the force interaction between projectile and RC structures.