Basic design of cable-supported glazed surfaces under blast waves

The design of blast-resistant glazed façades can be required by building standards. The high-pressure generated by the blast wave air-front can lead to catastrophic failure of the glass panes and/or their load-bearing structure, with possible projection of fragments that constitutes a potential threat for human lives and properties. The time-dependent deformations-history is usually assessed via numerical analyses and/or experimental investigations, but it is difficult to recognize the role of each element in the complex dynamic response. As a guide to structural design, we here propose a simple analytical model that permits a synthetic but comprehensive view of the phenomenon. The dynamic interaction among the blast wave, the ensemble of glazed panels and load-bearing structure is studied in paradigmatic lumped-element models, representing glass panels supported by tensioned cables, using Rayleigh's method to reduce the response of each glass panel to a non-linear single degree-of-freedom oscillator. The dynamic equations are solved under blast pressure modeled via the Friedlander's waveform. This analytical treatment quantifies the importance of the load-bearing structure in absorbing energy from the blast wave.