Abstract
Recent decades have witnessed an increasing number of terrorist bombing attacks, accidental explosions, vehicular impacts, and rockfall hazards. Such blast and impact loads are normally not considered by the engineers. Therefore, structural analysis and design against such highly dynamic loadings have become an important issue which requires comprehensive understanding and studies on a variety of topics including the dynamic material properties, structural responses, and mitigation retrofits.
The 24th Australasian Conference on the Mechanics of Structures and Materials (ACMSM) was held by Centre for Infrastructural Monitoring and Protection, Curtin University (in Perth, Australia), in December 2016. Authors of six selected papers were invited to extend their ACMSM conference papers for publication in this special issue of International Journal of Protective Structures (IJPS). The topics of these invited papers cover dynamic material properties, reinforced concrete, plymetal structure, FRP mitigation retrofit, glass windows, and precast structures, which all specifically represent state-of-the-art development in the area of protective structures against shock and impact loadings.
The papers published in this special issue have undergone a strict peer-review process. We are grateful to all the authors and reviewers for the contribution and support during the course of editing this special issue. We hope this special issue will serve as an initiative to encourage more researchers and engineers to develop new and advanced materials/structures and mitigation technologies in this important and promising area.