COSIMB - Composite column and wall systems for impact and blast resistance

This report provides a detailed account of the work carried out within the collabora-tive European RFCS research project COSIMB (Composite column and wall systems for impact and blast resistance). The research deals with the behaviour and design of composite steel/concrete members under extreme loading conditions. After presenting a brief background on composite members as well as the characteristics of blast and vehicle impact loading on structures, the report describes the experimental, numerical and design studies, conducted within the project, and concludes with suggested design and architectural concepts. The results of 35 static and dynamic impact and blast tests performed on composite members of different column/wall configurations are described in detail. The testing arrangements, specimen details and material properties are presented alongside discussions of the important observations and their implications on design. The test results are used to validate and calibrate analytical and numerical studies of various levels of complexity , including detailed continuum finite element models, finite element fibre models as well as more simplified approaches. ... mehrThe analytical studies are also extended to examine the post-event residual capacity and fire resistance of damaged members, and to assess the interactions that take place between the dynamically-loaded composite member and the surrounding structure through a number of sensitivity and parametric investigations. Based on the experimental and analytical findings, design approaches are proposed at two distinct levels, one for advanced application and another which is more suited to idealised engineering treatments. Overall, this research substantiates the favourable and synergetic capabilities of composite members in resisting extreme loads, and puts forward verified approaches for their application in practice.