Numerical and Experimental Investigations on a Three-Dimensional Rod-Plate Impact

Abstract

There are a few numerical simulation methods available for impact problems. However, most numerical results are not validated experimentally. The goal of this paper is to examine how well the simulation results correspond to the physical reality. In this work, normal and oblique impacts of a hemispherical-tip rod on a square plate are investigated both numerically and experimentally. In the numerical approach, finite element method is used to discretize the contact bodies to describe the deformation precisely combined with the floating reference frame method to describe the rigid motion. In the experimental study, strain gauges and Laser Doppler Vibrometers are employed to measure the high-frequency impact responses. Detailed comparative studies between numerical and experimental results are performed. In the case of normal impact, great attention is given to investigate the influence of finite element mesh size on the simulation accuracy and a “Prediction-Refinement” discretization strategy is proposed for obtaining a mesh which is optimal for impact dynamics. In the case of oblique impact, the influence of Coulomb’s friction coefficient is investigated additionally. It shows that the numerical results are in good agreement with the experimental results for both normal and oblique impacts.