The “Explora Research Program into Protection Against the Effects of Energetic Loadings” was established in September 2011 with a $1,250,000 donation, over five years, from the Explora Foundation to support research projects at the University of Toronto dealing with impulsive loading on structures. Investigations are pursued on three levels: (i) materials under dynamic, impact and high strain-rate loading (including the Department’s Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar apparatus); (ii) members and structural sub-assemblies in controlled laboratory conditions (including the Department’s “Blast Simulator” or impactor); (iii) full-scale field testing under blast loads. Research methods include experimentation, analytical modeling and numerical modeling, the latter using explicit non-linear finite element analysis.
- Materials Testing Program
- Blast Simulator Program
- Field Blast Trials Program
Current Research Projects
Current University of Toronto projects deal with: (i) innovative wall panel connectors for the mitigation of blast loading effects; (ii) performance of glass façades and verification of glass failure prediction models under blast loading; (iii) behaviour and design of steel hollow structural section members under blast loading.
People
Professors: Jeffrey Packer, Michael Seica, Alec Hay, Pat Heffernan (RMC)
Infrastructure Resilience Specialist: Alec Hay (CRCI)
Graduate Students & Interns: Matthew Gow, Cam Ritchie, Kevin Spiller, Michelle Parratt, Alex Benko (RMC)
Affiliates
