Hollow metal blast doors for the anti-terrorist market

A new line of blast-resistant steel doors for the minimum anti-terrorism market was developed and validated for the manufacturer through combined experimental and analytical research. Full-scale shock tube blast testing was used to determine the response of the doors relative to ASTM F2927 door and glazing classifications. A number of parameters affecting door response were considered, including door aspect ratio, construction methodology, door-frame construction, as well as anchor size and quantity. The experimental portion of the study was complemented by an analytical investigation to develop door design tools. Finite element analysis was employed to generate door resistance curves. This was followed by single-degree-of-freedom dynamic analyses to predict the various levels of protection for the blast scenarios studied.