The development of material laws for concrete subjected to highly dynamic loadings is a topic of current research. Explosive charges or high-velocity impacts produce high pressures in the kilobar region within microseconds. Hydrocode simulations by coupling of Lagrangian with Eulerian grids have been carried out, considering the interaction between explosive loading and the structure. Concrete is a composite material with a variety of inhomogenities. By homogenization of the microstructure, a macroscopic approach in the framework of continuum mechanics has been adopted. Appropriate constitutive laws that enable the nonlinear ratedependent as well as the local damage behaviour to be modelled had to be introduced. A new damage law that describes void compaction as well as the classical theory of plasticity had been taken into account. An equation of state had to be provided to ensure the compliance with conservation laws on which hydrocodes are based. To obtain the necessary material data, experimental investigations were indispensable. Therefore, a series of ®eld tests with specimens which were concrete slabs exposed to explosive contact charges has been conducted.

SUMMARYThe numerical simulation of concrete subjected to high dynamic loadings, e.g. explosive charges, is a subject of current research. This kind of loading produces extremely high pressures in the megabar region and strain rates up to 10 8 (1=s). It is obvious that one will not succeed by only using the classical ÿeld of structural dynamics. Hydrocode simulations have been carried out considering the interaction between explosive loading and the structure by coupling the Lagrangian with the Eulerian methodology. To use the hydrocode simulation for comparisons with test results and in order to improve the method as well as material laws, the typical methodical inherent aspects, like discretization errors and mesh sensitivity problems etc., have to be discussed and evaluated with respect to di erent levels of modelling.