Blast resistance of RC shear walls with engineered cementitious concrete: experimental and numerical insights for protective design

Ensuring structural safety against accidental or intentional explosions is a key challenge for process and infrastructure protection. This study examines the blast resistance of reinforced concrete (RC) shear walls constructed with a specially engineered cementitious composite (ECC) compared to conventional C25 concrete. Half-scale wall specimens were tested under eight controlled blast scenarios using two TNT charge weights (1.5 and 3.0 kg) and two standoff distances (5 and 10 m). Measurements revealed that ECC walls exhibited markedly reduced maximum (≈59%) and residual (≈70%) displacements relative to conventional concrete walls, despite higher peak accelerations, confirming their superior energy absorption and reduced permanent damage. Numerical analyses with LS-DYNA reproduced experimental responses and clarified modelling constraints. The results demonstrate ECC’s potential as a protective material for critical facilities, contributing to safer infrastructure design against blast hazards and supporting risk mitigation strategies in process safety and environmental protection.