Glass windows with anti-shatter safety film: a numerical study on blast response

This paper presents a parametric numerical study on the response of monolithic glass windows retrofitted with Anti-Shatter Film (ASF) against explosive loading. The evolving terrorism threat, particularly the increased use of drone-borne explosives, put an emphasis on appropriate window protection. This calls for a specific focus on blast load scenarios against glass facades. More in detail, attention is given in this paper to traditional monolithic glass windows, and a reference geometry with 6 mm thickness (1590 mm × 1190 mm the dimensions) is taken into account, introducing a thin ASF on the unexposed side. Initially, the effects of the ASF properties are assessed under standard far-field blast load conditions (R= 40 m the standoff distance and W= 100 kg the charge of equivalent TNT). The numerical analysis shows a significant sensitivity of the performance of the ASF-retrofitted window to the film properties, and thus the possible benefits in terms of safety level. Additionally, focusing on a drone-related threat scenario, two near-field blast conditions are analysed, with the standoff distance reduced to R= 2 m and R= 1 m respectively, and changing the charge W. Parametric results are critically discussed, by comparing the blast responses in qualitative and quantitative terms.