Experimental Investigation of Axially Loaded Wall Elements

Model scale experiments were performed with air blast loading of reinforced concrete wall elements in ½ scale, both with and without axial loading of the wall elements. The air blast experiments were performed in an explosive driven shock tube, with the duration of the air blast loading chosen to correspond to the time to maximum deflection for the wall elements. The experiments showed that the structural resistance of the wall elements with respect to air blast increased within the tested range of axial loading levels, compared to the wall elements without axial loading applied. Reference experiments with quasi-static transversal loading, with and without axial loading, were also performed. The quasi-static loading consisted of two transversal loads, each located at a distance equal to one third of the wall elements span from the upper and lower supports, respectively.