Experimental study of the resistance of RC walls with different transverse reinforcements subjected to large-scale rigid projectile impacts

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the nuclear power plants (NPPs) containment resisted a commercial aircraft or wind-borne missile impact has become one of the focus issues in the nuclear security field. Transverse reinforcement is typically used in reinforced concrete (RC) walls for nuclear engineering. However, there is little research related to the damage characteristics of RC walls with transverse reinforcement under the impact of a large-scale rigid projectile, and the effect of transverse reinforcement on penetration or perforation under projectile impact is still unclear. In this paper, according to different forms of transverse reinforcement, three types of RC walls were designed, and a total of eight large-scale rigid projectile impact tests for RC walls were performed. The failure mode of the walls, the concrete scabbed area, the penetration depth and the total failure number of longitudinal reinforcement were measured for comparison. The conclusion is that the form of transverse reinforcement influences the failure mode of an RC wall subjected to a rigid projectile impact. Transverse reinforcement plays a significant role in reducing the rear scabbing of the concrete. The tested walls with U-shaped transverse reinforcement show better performance than the walls in the form of classic stirrups with hooks with regard to perforation capacity under rigid projectile impact. In addition, the dynamic response characteristics of RC walls subjected to large-scale rigid projectile impacts are analyzed preliminarily, and the impact test results are consistent with the predictions of the Chang's empirical formula on damage modes. The related works and conclusions can provide a basis for NPP structural optimization and the safety assessment of large commercial aircraft collision problems and can also provide experimental data to verify finite element methodology.