Parametric Analysis of Transient Beam Behavior with Impact

After any terrorist attack or natural disaster, more research focuses on the dynamic response of structures under unexpected loads. Extreme loads such as explosions and earthquakes can cause enormous human and infrastructure losses. Rotating machinery can also routinely experience internal contact. Unpredicted failure may be caused by vibration-induced impact and is highly dangerous for both equipment and safety. For these reasons, the investigation of these beamlike structures under extreme loads is of importance. In this study, an Euler-Bernoulli beam with adjustable boundary conditions and variable impact is numerically studied under shock loading. Modal analysis and discrete time step methods are programmed in MATLAB to obtain linear analytical solutions. The influential parameters of structural stiffness, material modulus, contact stiffness, contact location, and damping ratio are examined. Their effects on different boundary conditions will be contrasted as well. This efficient model contributes to a better fundamental understanding of impact and will serve as a building block on which to introduce additional phenomena, such as multiple point contact, large deflection theory, and plastic material behavior.