Tilt-Up Concrete Association cites completion of all phases of research undertaken with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), in conjunction with
Tilt-Up Concrete Association cites completion of all phases of research undertaken with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), in conjunction with the Portland Cement Association, to define the resistance and failure mode of standard Department of Defense-compliant tilt-up concrete sandwich walls. Data from the wall tests series will allow researchers to evaluate current static resistance function and dynamic performance limits for sandwich walls constructed using different types of insulation, wythe connections, levels of composite action, and construction techniques, notes TCA Technical Director Jim Baty, leading to new design documentation and engineering level predicative tools for blast-resistant sandwich concrete walls.
AFRL provided oversight for the federally funded program. Phase I entailed construction at a University of Missouri, Columbia, test facility of full-thickness test strips for panels subjected to blast testing. Locally based Boone Quarries supplied ready mixed for the panels. Phase II involved construction and testing Û performed summer and fall 2009 at the Tyndall Air Force Base blast-testing range, near Panama City, Fla. Û of full-scale panels placed in frames and exposed to a variety of explosive charges. Material for the panels was provided by Couch Ready Mix USA in Panama City.
Test data will be released when the Department of Defense declassifies the research results. In addition to tilt-up panels, AFRL is evaluating blast resistance of precast and concrete masonry wall assemblies.