Blast damage assessment and mitigation for dams and navigation locks

This paper describes recent research efforts focused on improving blast damage prediction capabilities for dams and navigation locks. The outcomes from these efforts, which are used to inform the implementation of security risk assessment activities, enhance the current understanding regarding the effects of potential attack scenarios involving explosives and assist in the development of appropriate protective and mitigation measures. These research activities represent collaborative efforts between the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the U. S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The research efforts, which were performed by the USACE Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), included comprehensive numerical modeling and a large array of experimental tests intended to represent different effects produced by explosions that could induce structural damage on dams and their appurtenant structures. Depending on the characteristics of the blast, a given structure may be vulnerable to a number of effects, including airblast effects, solid material shock wave, fluid shock wave, and bubble effects. A main component of the research efforts focused on assessment and mitigation of blast-induced cratering, including understanding the effect of compaction, influence of phreatic surface, and definition of material damage zones. This paper presents an overview of these research efforts, and discusses their application to the development of mitigation techniques for embankment dams and repair and retrofit methodologies for navigation lock walls.