A study of the rupture behavior of a ship side plate laterally punched by a full-shape bulbous bow indenter

Abstract

This paper deals with analytical, experimental and numerical studies with respect to the rupture behaviors (including the fracture initiation and crack propagation) of a ship side plate induced by the lateral impact loading from a full-shape bulbous bow indenter. Analytical expressions were developed to calculate the whole collapse resistance, especially the initial fracture prediction and crack propagation resistance of the side plate. Small scale tests and numerical simulations were conducted to validate the proposed analytical method. The specimens were quasi-statically punched by a combine-shaped bulbous indenter, which is specifically designed to distinguish the fracture initiation and crack propagation behaviors. The results from these three methods well correlated which confirmed the validation of the proposed analytical method. In addition, the experimental observations demonstrate that the crack propagation resistance is not related to the crack number generated in the plate. Moreover, in the crack propagation process, failure of the plate is due to the tension effect at the crack tips with high stress concentration, and the plate can still absorb energy significantly after rupture. Finally, the influence of friction effect on the collision response is discussed.