Structural and Geotechnical Investigation of Reinforced Concrete Pile Under Blast Load Using Numerical Modeling

An explosion near a pile can cause the pile to break and eventually damage the structure built upon it. Taking measures to cope with the load created by an explosion requires consideration of its effect in the design of structures, especially piles. Research must consider both geotechnical and structural aspects of the effect of a blast load on pile bearing capacity. The current study numerically modeled a reinforced concrete pile under a blast load using the coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian method to obtain the maximum compressive strain of the concrete pile and the best distances for safety devices. The results were compared with geotechnical safe distances obtained in previous research. The geotechnical and structural performance of the piles were jointly investigated. The influence of the amount of pile reinforcement on the structural behavior of the pile indicated that the safe distance for a pile in clay and sand was greater than the geotechnical safe distance in most cases. The results showed an increase in the maximum compressive strain of the concrete pile with an increase in the percentage of reinforcement in sandy soil and a decrease in the percentage of reinforcement in clay soil. The results of indicated that the range of influence was greater in clay soil than in sandy soil..