Damage model and damage assessment for single-layer reticulated domes under exterior blast load

Long-span reticulated dome is often considered as a landmark building of a region, so it is very important to investigate the dynamic response and propose the damage assessment method of reticulated dome under blast loading. In this article, a fine finite element model of Kiewitt8 (K8) single-layer reticulated dome was established by using ANSYS/LS-DYNA. The effects of standoff distance, charge weight, rise–span ratio, span, and roof weight on the responses of K8 single-layer reticulated dome were numerically studied. The results showed that the blast-resistant performance of reticulated dome with smaller rise–span ratio and larger span under exterior blast load was more advantageous. Although the blast-resistant capacity of reticulated dome with large span and large roof weight was favorable, the plastic deformations of reticulated dome members were small and the utilization of material was low at failure state. According to the dynamic response characteristics of plentiful K8 single-layer reticulated domes at different damage levels, a damage model of K8 single-layer reticulated dome under exterior blast load was proposed in this article to indicate the damage level and determine the ultimate strength. Besides, a new damage criterion for K8 reticulated dome was also defined. This damage model was defined based on the physical phenomena at different damage levels, which made the strength failure criterion had definite physical meaning. Using the proposed damage criterion and a new search algorithm for pressure and impulse, the pressure–impulse diagrams for the typical K8 reticulated dome were derived from the numerical simulations to evaluate the damage level of reticulated dome under blast loading. Finally, a method to determine the safety standoff distance for reticulated dome under given TNT charge weight was also proposed.