Abstract: In recent years, the threat of blast loading on buildings and critical infrastructure has increased significantly due to terrorist attacks, industrial explosions, accidental gas leaks, and military activities. Conventional structures are generally designed for gravity, wind, and seismic loads, but they are often inadequate to resist the extreme pressure generated during blast events. Blast loads are characterized by very high intensity and very short duration, producing severe structural damage, progressive collapse, and loss of life. Therefore, the development of blast-resistant structural systems has become an important area of research in structural engineering. This review paper presents a detailed study of previous research related to blast loading, blast wave propagation, structural response under explosion, and blast-resistant design methodologies. The paper reviews the contributions of various researchers from 1971 to 2023 who studied blast wave characteristics, reinforced concrete structures, steel buildings, stiffened plates, containment structures, and numerical simulation techniques. Various analytical and numerical tools such as ABAQUS, LS-DYNA, SAP2000, DYNAIB, and finite element methods have been discussed in detail. The review also highlights important parameters influencing blast resistance such as stand-off distance, explosive charge weight, ductility, material behavior, reinforcement detailing, energy absorption capacity, and progressive collapse mechanisms. The paper further identifies major research gaps in the existing literature, including the limited study on hybrid structural systems, lack of experimental validation, inadequate focus on sustainable blast-resistant materials, and insufficient research on critical infrastructure under combined loading conditions. Finally, the study concludes with recommendations for future research aimed at improving the safety, resilience, and performance of structures subjected to blast loading.
Gahane et al. (Thu,) studied this question.