Simulation of impact force generated by an ISO tapping machine on a wooden slab using explicit dynamics analysis

Abstract

Application of simulation tools to compute impact sound insulation properties of wooden floors has raised interests in recent decades. To achieve accurate results from the prediction models, information from force excitation generated by impact sound sources is required. The purpose of our study was to present a validated procedure to determine the non-linear impact force excitation generated by an ISO tapping machine. The method comprised use of finite element method (FEM) and explicit time integration to compute impact force pulse generated by a hammer of the tapping machine. With a post-processing procedure, the force pulses can be converted to present point forces describing the continuous operation of the tapping machine on the floor. To demonstrate the applicability of the method, the finite element model was applied to imitate an experimental situation on a cross-laminated timber (CLT) slab. The model validation showed that the computational model closely predicts the force pulse generated on the CLT slab. Findings from a sensitivity analysis revealed that local properties of the slab were the most important to the simulated impact force pulse. The findings of the analysis are helpful for those developing simulation tools to compute the impact force generated by the tapping machine on wooden floors.