Blast vulnerability of building structures and the public from terrorist attack

Buildings and, more importantly people working within buildings, are becoming increasingly vulnerable to terrorist attack. The use by terrorist organisations of large bombs in areas accessed by the public is a matter of great concern. Conventional buildings are vulnerable to blast and their response is less well understood than that of heavy, reinforced, defensive structures. The lightness, discontinuities and hazard potential of modern building envelopes present new challenges. This paper discusses current research in the UK; arising in particular from observations on the parameters of blast which have the most significant effect on the behaviour of cladding and glass. The fragility of conventional building envelopes mean that they remain vulnerable at considerable ranges from large explosive charges even though the underlying structural frame may be relatively unaffected. The significance of blast duration and the negative phase of the blast pulse on light cladding elements is raised, along with the need to target design attention to areas which are realistic in the context of conventional building structures