- Terrorist attacks increased manifold in recent times leading to the loss of lives of military personnel and civilians. Blast and Ballistic attacks can cause failure of structural components or structures. On the other hand, Electromagnetic pulse (EMP) could disrupt electronic and communication systems creating a threat to the nation’s defense.
- In this regard, an innovative concrete (Multi-Faceted Engineered Concrete (MFEC)) was developed through rational selection and proportioning of materials to mitigate Blast, Ballistic and EMP attacks. The developed concrete was tested for mentioned forms of attacks at laboratory scale using a shock tube for blast, a single-stage gas gun for ballistic and an EMP concrete test chamber for EMP resistance. The developed concrete exhibited excellent mechanical properties, energy absorption capabilities along with conductive and absorptive properties. The engineered concrete can be used in the construction of civil and military infrastructure to impart better protection against a multitude of disasters rather than protection against one type of disaster, leaving the infrastructure vulnerable to others.
- Terrorist attacks increased manifold in recent times leading to the loss of lives of military personnel and civilians. Blast and Ballistic attacks can cause failure of structural components or structures. On the other hand, Electromagnetic pulse (EMP) could disrupt electronic and communication systems creating a threat to the nation’s defense.
- In this regard, an innovative concrete (Multi-Faceted Engineered Concrete (MFEC)) was developed through rational selection and proportioning of materials to mitigate Blast, Ballistic and EMP attacks. The developed concrete was tested for mentioned forms of attacks at laboratory scale using a shock tube for blast, a single-stage gas gun for ballistic and an EMP concrete test chamber for EMP resistance. The developed concrete exhibited excellent mechanical properties, energy absorption capabilities along with conductive and absorptive properties. The engineered concrete can be used in the construction of civil and military infrastructure to impart better protection against a multitude of disasters rather than protection against one type of disaster, leaving the infrastructure vulnerable to others.
- Enhanced Mechanical Properties: Microsteel fibers improve flexural strength, toughness, crack resistance, and electrical conductivity.
- Improved Conductivity: Graphite aggregates contribute to increased electrical conductivity.
- Multi-Threat Resistance: Designed to withstand electromagnetic pulses, ballistic assaults, and blast impacts simultaneously.
- Material Optimization: Achieves both EMP resistance and physical impact resistance through rational material selection and proportioning.
- Ballistic Performance: Demonstrated 4× improvement in ballistic resistance, with slabs absorbing ~700 J vs. ~170 J in conventional concrete.
- Shock Resistance: Proven ability to withstand shock waves of 10 bar at Mach 3 in laboratory tests.
A laboratory-scale prototype of the Multi-Faceted Engineered Concrete (MFEC) was developed and evaluated under simulated attack conditions. Blast resistance was tested using a shock tube at Mach 3 and 10 bar incident pressure, with no physical damage observed. Ballistic performance was assessed using a single-stage gas gun; 50 mm thick slabs showed only 18.76 mm penetration at an impact energy of 663 J with no scabbing. Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) resistance was tested in a dedicated EMP chamber, where 50 mm thick specimens achieved a shielding effectiveness (SE) of 37.9 dB at 1.46 GHz. These results confirm the prototype’s effectiveness in withstanding multiple forms of extreme loading.
The developed concrete was tested at laboratory level (TRL 4) demonstrating feasibility and effectiveness.
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The physical infrastructure is mainly made of concrete with adequate strength. However, the infrastructure is easily damaged during disasters which can be both natural and man-made. When it comes to man-made disasters such as the blast and ballistic (projectile impacts), it massively damages the physical infrastructure and hence the physical infrastructure needs to be safeguarded.
The MFEC can be used in the construction of protective structures, buildings, roads and bridges especially in sensitive regions.
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