Oil, gas, chemical and manufacturing plants operate under eminent risks due to the sustained high temperature and pressure. Even if all precautions were taken in the facilities and processes, the risk of explosions may occur due to some unpredictable events. These explosions cause great loss of life and property.
Explosion-proof structures from HARDSHIELD protect personnel and critical material from the lethal effect of the explosion.
The typical structure of explosion-proof modular buildings consists of specially designed structural steel walls that are resistant to high burst pressure. Steel is a robust and reliable material with blast resistance. It is basically a metallic alloy consisting of iron combined with a small amount of carbon. The ultimate tensile strength or resistance to tensile action of low carbon steel is between 400 – 550 MPa (approximately 58,000 – 79,750 psi). Very high strength steels have an ultimate tensile strength as high as 3,000 MPa or approximately 435,000 psi.
These ultimate strengths of the steel can be about 50-60% higher than the yield strength, which is the point at which the material begins to deform plastically. Beyond that, yield stress is the yield point at which nonlinear elastic and plastic deformation begins. When a structural steel is subjected to stresses beyond its yield point, it will undergo a small percentage of permanent deformation when the stress is relieved.
As part of explosion proofing, buildings made of this type of structural steel will undergo some deformation when subjected to blast pressure. Deformation can occur under tension or compression without catastrophic failure. This type of behavior is desirable in explosion-proof buildings or explosion-proof modules. This minimal movement due to flexibility absorbs the energy of the blast wave. In reinforced concrete type buildings, it is rigid and does not bend like steel. Only the strength of the building material can be trusted.
With its advanced engineering and material knowledge, HARDSHIELD can design and manufacture explosion-proof structures according to your needs. You can always contact us for more information.