Testing Applied to the Evaluation of Damage to FRC and Other Material Systems Caused by Large Missile Impact to Building Envelopes During Storm Events

Recent natural disasters involving high wind events have demonstrated the fact that building envelopes, including structural walls and roofs, can lose structural integrity as a result of penetration by missile objects. Consequently, there is heightened interest in the testing of components and cladding that are used as a part of building envelopes of habitable structures. A large missile impact test has been designed and is being evaluated in laboratories around the country. The test discussed in this paper is suitable for laboratory or field applications and is currently undergoing scrutiny by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Task Force of Committee E6, Performance of Buildings. Adoption of the test by the South Florida Building Code came in the wake of Hurricane Andrew in 1992. The test has been applied to numerous types of wall systems and building products including a fiber reinforced cellular concrete panel which is designed to be used as an alternate to masonry infill construction, architectural precast, demising walls, and security fencing. Additional tests of the missile impact resistance of fiber reinforced cellular concrete involving the use of large caliber ballistics are also discussed. The high energy impact resistance of fiber reinforced systems is demonstrated and discussed.