Protection against blast has become a high priority for many building owners. Blast retrofits and structural hardening, much like earthquake retrofits, can be costly. For this reason, it is important to understand that any structural element has an inherent capacity to absorb energy and resist some level of blast demand. A general evaluation that allows a designer to realize the absorption capacity of a structural element may preclude the need for a blast-specific retrofit. To illustrate this concept, the blast resistances of non-loadbearing precast, prestressed concrete sandwich wall panels are examined. These components are used extensively in modern construction for cladding of building systems and often provide a significant level of protection from blast events. This paper investigates the behavior of precast, prestressed concrete sandwich wall panels subjected to blast loads. Four explosive experiments were performed on four sets of wall panels. An analytical model was developed and validated with the measured blast demands and peak displacements. The analytical model is used to predict wall-panel damage for varying levels of peak pressures and impulses. An extension of this method is proposed for assessing the blast resistance of horizontal diaphragm elements, such as double tees or hollow-core. An example analysis for a double-tee floor system with a localized blast is provided.
