Blast and Impact Resistant Design

K&C has been designing structures to resist blast and impact effects for over four decades.

Protective Design

Much of K&C’s work includes designs for the protection of structural and mechanical systems from blast, shock and impact. This involves protective designs for office and government buildings, airport facilities, stadiums, embassies, and industrial facilities. Protective design offers a different challenge to the structural engineer than that of conventional structural design, which is important to recognize for a successful result. K&C uses a variety of specialty tools to develop these designs depending on the application and complexity of the design, the costs involved, and intensity of the threat.

We are particularly adept at retrofitting existing facilities to enhance their blast-resistance. K&C's staff has generated literally hundreds of on-site designs for the kinds of impact-resistant devices and blast-resistant systems commonly found at embassies, government buildings, and other key facilities where perimeter and facility protection is important. In addition, we have worked closely with manufacturers of devices and products which are intended for the protection engineering market in order to help them in their design and testing activities.

Solutions

K&C provides consulting services in support of the on-site structural/mechanical engineer or can provide full design services, including complete sets of drawings, specifications, and on-site supervision of contractors. Supervision is often important because many of the designs have unique features that need to be checked for correct installation: cases like blast windows being installed backwards are unfortunately all too prevalent.

Services Offered

• Blast-resistant structural designs
• Blast-resistant designs for MEP systems
• Collapse analysis for building framing systems
• Designs to prevent penetration by high-speed projectiles or fragments,
• Designs to arrest entry of high-speed vehicles, and reduce damage from ships and aircraft impacts
• Designs of blast walls and detonation shields
• Perimeter security designs
• Vulnerability analyses
• Blast, shock and impact effects analyses
• Development of threat mitigation products/designs
• Explosive safety design and analysis
• Evaluation of designs for compliance with design criteria for collapse and blast risks.