Blast response of cracked steel box structures repaired with carbon fibre-reinforced polymer composite patch

In this paper the blast resistance of cracked steel structures repaired with fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite patch are investigated. The switch box which has been subjected to blast loading is chosen to study. The steel material is modelled using isotropic hardening model, pertaining to Von Mises yield condition with isotropic strain hardening, and strain rate-dependent dynamic yield stress based on Cowper and Symonds model. Three different cracked structures are chosen to investigate their capability in dissipating the blast loading. To improve the blast resistance, the cracked steel structures are stiffened using carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite patches. The repaired patches reduce the stress field around the crack as the stress is transferred from the cracked zone to them. This situation prevents the crack from growing and extends the service life of the steel structure. It will be shown that CFRP repairing can significantly increase the blast resistance of cracked steel structures.