Minimal rebounding height on shell elucidated: Impact memory of bead on shell

Abstract

For the impact of a bead on a flat plate, the rebounding height decreases as the bead size increases. However, for the impact on a shell, a minimal rebounding height exists for a certain size of the bead. In this study, we revealed that the reason behind, which has never been comprehended, is the memory effect of impact of the bead on the shell. Separating the memory contribution analytically, we demonstrated that the memory effect will enhance the rebounding height as the bead size increases. In particular, we found that the single contact will split into two sub-contacts as the bead size increases; the memory of impact fundamentally changes the type of contacts. Moreover, the boundary of sub-contacts determines the condition for the minimal rebounding height.