Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Elastic Disc-Strip Impact Problems

This dissertation is primarily concerned with experimental and theoretical studies on the elastic oblique impact between compact and slender bodies.

Impact problems occur in a wide range of engineering applications. As type of the elastic impact, the oblique compact-slender impact exhibits short contact duration, large impulsive forces, global structural vibration, wave propagation, local contact deformation and frictional energy dissipation. With the advancement of the impact dynamics, it is necessary when treating elastic multibody impact problems to gain further understanding of impact transients and their coupling with flexible body responses. A literature survey shows that most of the studies on the compact-slender impact have focused on longitudinal and direct transverse impact, where friction can conveniently be neglected. For the typical impact problem of a slender body obliquely struck by a rotating compact body, seldom results have been reported. It is thus important to study the elastic oblique impact between compact and slender bodies and reveal the effects of flexibility due to the slender body on the responses of bodies after impact.