Experimental procedure for testing concrete slabs under blast loading

In this paper the pressure waves generated in a test rig previously presented by the authors for the experimental analysis of concrete slabs subjected to blast loading are analysed. To this aim, the concrete samples are replaced by one single aluminium slab instrumented with pressure gauges. In order to analyze the experimental scatter, the test set-up is repeated four times, with the only variation of the location of the aluminium slab within the four available positions in the test rig. The pressure histories registered show good agreement with the typical patterns expected in open-air explosions and demonstrates the quasi-planar shape of the pressure wave acting on the slabs. By comparing between the results obtained in different detonations, the explosive charge seems to be among the main sources of experimental scatter in this kind of tests.