Role of Vertical Stirrups in Enhancing the Performance of Clamped One-way Slabs under Direct Surface Explosion

Direct surface explosions on structural slabs represent a relatively straightforward mechanism of causing damage when compared to other structural elements. Such explosions tend to produce highly localized and severe damage, often leading the slab to reach its ultimate failure stage and even experience catastrophic collapse, a level of damage that is typically more severe than that caused by non-contact blasts. Recently, the field of blast engineering has seen growing research interest, with several experimental and computational studies focusing on the response and enhancement of thin structural components like slabs under blast loads using both conventional and advanced materials. A critical research gap has been noted by the authors through a thorough review of existing literature, revealing that the incorporation of shear reinforcement to improve slab resistance against contact blasts has received limited attention. This study aims to bridge that gap by investigating the influence of shear reinforcements, specifically vertical stirrups, on the behavior of slabs subjected to contact blast loading. Numerical analyses are conducted utilizing the ABAQUS/Explicit finite element platform, with the model validated against results available in open literature. All materials involved in the slab construction are simulated using appropriate nonlinear constitutive models. The simulation outcomes indicate that the slab with closely spaced shear stirrups and additional compression bars performed exceptionally well. This configuration boosted shear resistance, limited cracking, and helped distribute stresses more evenly, which reduced deformation and prevented perforation under blast.