Procedure for Predicting Blast Loads Acting on Bridge Columns

Historical data show that terrorist attacks against transportation assets have increased in recent years and that the vast majority of these attacks have been bombings. As such, there is growing interest in protecting highway infrastructure from blast loads. To address this concern, the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) sponsored a project to investigate the performance of highway bridges subjected to the nearby detonation of an explosive, and this paper presents research that advances the understanding of blast loads acting on bridge columns. Unlike large wall panels for which much of the existing knowledge about blast effects against structures has been established, the research presented in this paper focuses on slender structural components in which the effects of cross-sectional geometry, engulfment of blast pressures, and clearing effects strongly influence loading history. Based on the findings obtained from this study, a simplified procedure for predicting blast loads acting against bridge columns is proposed.