Research Raises Concerns About Safety Criteria For Blasts

Jan 1, 2003 12:00 PM

Buildings built according to federal design criteria to be able to withstand earthquakes may not be able to survive the effects of explosions from bombs small enough to be carried by a terrorist, according to the research conducted by the Penn State Protective Technology Center (PTC).

“Our analyses show that three-dimensional structural steel welded connections designed to resist the effects of earthquakes may fail when subjected to small bomb blasts even when the structure is based on recommended design procedures,” says Dr. Theodor Krauthammer, PTC director and study leader.

The steel design specifications, known as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 350 or the Seismic Recommended Design Criteria for New Steel Moment-Framed Buildings, were issued after recent earthquakes in the U.S. highlighted weaknesses in the design and construction of steel connections.

The research team used computer simulations and numerical studies that had been validated to insure that they could reproduce real-world behavior.

The internal blast simulated, approximately, a small 25-pound bomb, the range of explosive capable of being carried by a terrorist.

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