Low Velocity Impact of an Elastic Plate Resting on Sand

This article describes the measurement and analysis of plate and soil response under low velocity impact. A free-drop impact system was developed to generate the dynamic loading on the plate free surface. The radial strain of the target plate, the longitudinal wave speed and the acceleration of the sand were measured. The measured wave speed data were then used to evaluate the elastic constants of the sand. An analysis based on linear elastodynamics was developed for transient waves on a thin plate resting on an elastic half space. The contact stresses and the normal displacements of the plate were taken as unknown functions. The contact between the plate and the half space were assumed frictionless. The experimental results of the radial strain at the bottom of the target plate and the acceleration of the sand beneath the center of the target plate were compared with the analytical solution. The arrival time, the duration, and the magnitude have good correlation between the analysis and experiment. The overall results appear good and provide an understanding of the transmission of impact load through the plate, the interaction between the plate and the sand, and the propagation of the load into the sand.