What is the historical experience with steel-framed structures subjected to Blast?
A study of 17 British buildings hit by German bombs during World War II examined eight steel-framed buildings, five reinforced concrete buildings and four wall-bearing buildings. The steel-framed buildings included office, apartment and industrial buildings, and a two-story railway station. The weight of bombs ranged from 110 lb to 3,100 lb. In each case the charge weight was approximately 50 percent of the bomb weight. With one exception all were internal explosions and the type of damage was fairly typical. One example is the explosion damage to a seven-story apartment building. This building consisted of a concrete-encased steel frame (for fire protection). The floors were 6″ hollow tile with 3.5″ concrete topping, supported on steel beams and girders. Exterior walls consisted of 9″ brick and tile facing. Interior walls were 3″ brick with plaster surfaces. A 1,100-lb bomb perforated the roof and three floors and detonated just above the fourth floor. Damage to the seventh floor cons
