Comparative Numerical Assessment of Blast Resistance of Steel, Steel–Concrete Composite, and Fiber Metal Laminate Roofs

Blast loading poses a serious threat to building roof systems due to their relatively low mass and stiffness compared to vertical structural components. This study presents a comprehensive numerical investigation of the blast response of three different roof systems: steel plate deck (SPD), steel–concrete composite deck (SCD), and fiber metal laminate (FML) composed of two steel sheets with intermediate CFRP layers oriented at ۰° and ۹۰°. Finite element models were developed in Abaqus to simulate both near-field and far-field blast scenarios using equivalent TNT charges with various stand-off distances and charge weights. A detailed parametric study was conducted to evaluate the influence of key design parameters, including material thickness, explosive weight, and stand-off distance, on the maximum von Mises stress. The results demonstrate that the stand-off distance is the governing parameter controlling the structural response under blast loading. The steel–concrete composite system exhibited the most stable performance due to the combined effects of increased mass, energy absorption, and composite action, while the steel plate deck showed significant plastic deformation under close-in explosions. The FML system provided excellent performance at moderate and large stand-off distances; however, it was highly sensitive to near-field blasts due to the brittle failure characteristics of CFRP layers. Furthermore, blast design charts based on scaled distance were developed and power-law relationships were proposed to enable rapid estimation of maximum stress for preliminary design purposes. The findings provide practical insights for selecting and designing roof systems with improved blast resistance.

Keywords:

Blast loading , Roof systems , Steel plate deck , Steel–concrete composite , Fiber metal laminate , CFRP