IIT Madras Researchers Develop Framework To Protect Critical Infrastructure Against Ballistic Missiles

Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) Researchers have developed a framework that can boost the protection of critical infrastructure in the country against the threat of ballistic missiles. This framework will help designers develop innovative solutions for improving the ballistic resistance of reinforced concrete (RC) panels.

Using computational simulations, the researchers studied the impact of missiles on Reinforced concrete (RC), which is the main material used to construct vital structures ranging from Military Bunkers, nuclear power buildings and bridges to runways.

Read also: IIT Bombay Study Reveals How Limited Choices Can Extract More Truth

Concrete structures face highly localised damage such as penetration, perforation, scabbing, spalling and crushing under projectile impact load. Due to the strategic importance of these structures, it is necessary to protect them against projectile and debris impact, which can result in localised damage or even the collapse of the entire structure.

Ballistics is a field of engineering that deals with the launching, flight behaviour, and impact effects of projectiles such as bullets, bombs, and rockets. This science is used not only for designing bunkers but also for designing the walls of nuclear power buildings, bridges, and other protective structures.

IIT Madras Researchers conducted the study during ‘Finite Element’ (FE) Simulation, a computational technique used to simulate and analyze physical phenomena in engineering and science. FE simulation relies on the Finite Element Method (FEM), a numerical approach for solving complex problems involving partial differential equations. These problems often arise in fields like structural mechanics, among others.

Read also: US Education Dept Closure: Potential Impact on Higher Education

In this study, Dr. Alagappan Ponnalagu, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras and Mr. Roouf Un Nabi Dar, Research Scholar, IIT Madras, focused on the development of the novel performance-based design framework based on ‘Depth of Penetration’ (DOP) and Crater Damage Area in the RC panels. In addition to that, a probabilistic formula for estimating the crater diameter in RC panels is proposed.