Performance Assessment of a Designed RC Slab Under Sequential Fire and Blast Loading Using a Novel Etabs-Ansys Framework

Abstract

This research develops a novel, integrated workflow to evaluate the performance of a code-compliant RC slab panel designed for gravity and lateral loads in ETABS under consecutive thermal and blast loading. A prototype one-way slab panel is designed and detailed as per Indian Standards (IS 456:2000). The critical reinforcement data and geometry are then translated into a high-fidelity finite element model in ANSYS Workbench for advanced nonlinear analysis. A sequentially coupled thermo-mechanical simulation is performed. First, a Transient Thermal analysis applies the ISO-834 standard fire curve for one hour to induce thermal degradation. Subsequently, an Explicit Dynamics analysis subjects the fire-damaged slab to a blast load, modeled using the CONWEP methodology with a centrally-located charge. The results quantify the severe performance degradation in the combined fire-blast scenario compared to isolated events. The study concludes by deriving resilience-oriented design and detailing recommendations for RC slabs in disaster-prone urban environments. The primary contribution of this work is the established ETABS-to-ANSYS workflow, providing a practical tool for engineers to assess the multi-hazard resilience of as-designed structural elements.