ABSTRACT
Recent events have drawn considerable attention to the vulnerability and sustainability of structural members subjected to improvised explosive devices (IED). Since blast protection of structures is never an absolute concept and there is a level of high costs associated with a given damage level of protection, proper assessment tools must be employed to determine within a reasonable degree of accuracy the level of vulnerability of existing and new structures. Furthermore, in blast design, one must also determine an acceptable level of damage that a structure can tolerate. Explosive effects can impact a level of damage that can range from minor damage to complete structural failure and considerable loss of life.
