ABSTRACT: Given the prospective threat of a blast or impact load causing severe damage to a structural element or system, it is critical to investigate and understand the dynamic behavior and potential failure modes of such members. One method used to perform such an analysis in a computationally efficient manner is the programming code Dynamic Structural Analysis Suite (DSAS). The presented study's intent is to evaluate the incurrence of plastic hinges via DSAS and inspect the resultant behavior of both normal strength reinforced concrete and ultra high performance concrete columns under severe loads. Ultra high performance concrete (UHPC) is an emerging engineering technology characterized by increased strength and durability compared with normal and high performance concretes. As a relatively new material, UHPC remains to be fully characterized, and to study the material's response under simulated loading conditions contributes to widening its use, especially with respect to protective applications. As a particularly vulnerable structural element under blast and impact loadings, columns are the specific interest of the study. To introduce the dynamic behavior of concrete columns, the analytical methods and models detailed in engineering literature 18 are first reviewed. The study then examines the process by which DSAS was adjusted to approximate the plastic hinge formation and respective curvature along the column length, allowing for the evaluation of concrete columns' behavioral response under various boundary and load conditions. The considered normal strength concrete and UHPC columns are subsequently compared with the output from the finite element program ABAQUS for corresponding material models as well as the simulated behavior of each other using DSAS. Such comparisons respectively intend to validate the generated models and to demonstrate the elevated properties of UHPC. Given the pr.