Contemporary Engineering Sciences, Vol. 11, 2018, no.

53, 2631 - 2639

HIKARI Ltd, www.m-hikari.com
https://doi.org/10.12988/ces.2018.86275

Validation of a Non-conservative Mechanical

Model Applied to the Low Energy Impact

Phenomenon

Milton F. Coba Salcedo1, Carlos Acevedo Peñaloza 2 and Javier Navas Lopez3
1
Materials Engineering and Manufacturing Technology Research Group –
IMTEF, Universidad del Atlántico, Carrera 30 Número 8 – 49
Puerto Colombia – Colombia
2
Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering
Universidad Francisco de Paula Santander, Colombia
3
Mechanical Engineering Department, Catalan Company of Elevators, Spain

Copyright © 2018 Milton F. Coba Salcedo, Carlos Acevedo Peñaloza and Javier Navas Lopez.
This article is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits
unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properly
cited.

Abstract

The impact of materials is undoubtedly the object of research, due to the dynamic
condition inherent in the bodies that interact in our universe. This work places
special emphasis on the method of plate bending, which, due to its geometric
configuration, interprets real impact situations to which some bodies are subjected,
in addition to the low energy technique in which the energy available in the
impactor is less than that absorbed in the breaking process, makes it possible to
obtain information on the material in the elastic, plastic, initiation and crack
propagation range. For research, the contribution of technological progress in
instrumented test equipment by electronics is important, as it allows us to record
much more information on the evolution of the contact between the impactor and
the sample step by step. This information must be further processed and this phase
of the research requires programming, modelling and simulation of the test
dynamics to interpret or even predict the different phenomena that converge in the
fraction of time in which the impact occurs. In this sense, our objective has been to
study the physical behavior of different thermoplastic materials and their response
to impact requests and to develop a series of models that try to simulate the phenome-
2632 Milton F. Coba Salcedo et al.

non, in order to help us establish what happens at each stage of it, this is achieved
using powerful mathematical tools, new contributions from the scientific
community and continuous experimentation achieved in the laboratory. So that
more knowledge can be obtained in this field.

Keywords: Impact, Charpy, Plastics, Non conservative models

1. Introduction
The evolution of the knowledge of physical phenomena has found in modelling a
strong tool to interpret their real behavior [1], in this sense, the present work intends
to apply this tool to the low energy impact phenomenon, using non-conservative
models. The use of non-conservative models is based on the fact that there are
considerable energy losses, which explain why conservative models, although they
give an idea of the phenomenon, are not the best results [2]. Fracture processes in
plastic materials are influenced by their properties. Polymers do not have the
structural regularity of other materials such as ceramics and metals, although some
polymers have a certain crystalline structure, the presence of macromolecules
makes their accommodation and cohesion strength different from that of other
materials, thus influencing their mechanical properties [3]. That is to say, an
essential characteristic of polymers is that they are formed by long chains of
macromolecules that in turn entangle each other, and it can be observed that their
structure, apparently a solid, is in fact more similar to that of liquids. This is why it
is considered to be a new state of matter between solids and liquids, called the visco-
elastic state. Because it is a very elastic solid or a very viscous liquid [4]. Due to
the viscoelastic state of the polymers, the deformation mechanisms depend on time,
this exclusive property of the polymers is of special relevance for their study and
application, since in the search for relating the structure of the materials with their
mechanical behaviour, reliable methods must be established to characterize the
response of the materials in low, medium and high speed conditions [5]. Within
these ranges, materials subjected to impact play an important role and require
further research, along with the use of additional techniques and equipment to
complement and improve existing impact tests. The impact techniques used to
evaluate the impact behaviour of plastic materials have evolved ostensibly from
sophisticated equipment and from classical techniques to the development of the
theory of fracture mechanics [6]. References of work based on these advances can
be found in studies carried out on impact techniques, fracture mechanics, and
characterization in quasi-static or high-speed conditions of stressing polymer
materials (natural or modified). In the investigations of Sánchez-M [7], Jiménez-O
[8] or Gámez-J [9].

2. Methodology
In this model, the collision of the impactor-probe system at low energy is represented
Validation of a non-conservative mechanical model 2633

by the arrangement of figure 1, the model considers the mass of the specimen (mp).

Where:
m, mass of the impactor.
mp, mass of the test tube.
K, the constant of the springs.
C, damping coefficient.
Subscript i is used for indentation and f for bending.
The Ki spring is non-linear (Hertzian).

Figure 1. Non-conservative parallel series bending/indentation model with

effective specimen mass.

The equations governing the system in Figure 2 are:

𝐹𝑚 = 𝑚 ∗ 𝛼̈ + 𝑚 ∗ 𝑔 (1)

𝐹𝐶𝑖 = 𝐶𝑖 ∗ 𝛼𝐶𝑖 (2)

𝐹𝐶𝑓 = 𝐶𝑓 ∗ 𝛼 ∗ 𝑐𝑓 (3)

𝐹𝐾𝑓 = 𝐾𝑓 ∗ 𝛼𝐾𝑓 (4)

𝐹𝐾𝑖 = 𝐾𝑖 ∗ 𝛼𝐾𝑖 (5)

Expressions (8), (9) and (10) allow you to build the function system required by the
Runge-Kutta method. However, the presence of 4 derivatives (3 explicit and a
fourth that does not appear) makes it necessary to have a fourth equation, so in
addition to the three previous equations, a 4th function was defined to calculate all
the variables that appear.
𝜕𝛼
𝛼̇ = 𝜕𝑡 (6)

In this way, the set of functions is defined as:

𝐾
𝑓1 = 𝐶 𝑖 ∗ (𝛼 − 𝛼2 − 𝛼3 )3/2 (7)
𝑖
2634 Milton F. Coba Salcedo et al.

3
𝐾
𝑓2 = − ( 𝑚𝑖 (𝛼 − 𝛼2 − 𝛼3 )2 ) − 𝑔 (8)

3
𝐾 𝐾 𝐶
𝑓3 = − (𝑚𝑝𝐼 ∗ (𝛼 − 𝛼2 − 𝛼3 )2 ) − 𝑚𝑝
𝐹 𝐹
∗ 𝛼3 − 𝑚𝑝 ∗ 𝛼3 − 𝑔 (9)

𝜕𝛼
𝑓4 = 𝛼 = 𝜕𝑡 (10)
With this system of equations an algorithm was developed and programmed.
 Speed of impact (𝛼𝑡=0, = 𝑣0 )
 Non-elastic strain rate (shock-absorbing element); (𝛼2,𝑡=0 = 0)
 The acceleration of the mass element (𝛼̈ = 0)
 The acceleration of the mass element (𝛼̈ 3 = 0)
The parameters of the model are the mass of the impactor (m), the mass of the test
piece (mp) and the constants K (related to the elastic part) and C (related to the loss
of energy and therefore to the coefficient of restitution). These two parameters can
be manually varied to fit the model to the experimental values.

3. Results and discussion

Next, the answers of the developed models are studied, so that by varying different
parameters, the response of the model is interpreted and if they match what has been
observed experimentally, however, due to the fact that previously it has been
observed that both the parallel series model without and with mass give similar
answers, only the model with mass is analyzed. Figure 2 shows the graphic of a
numerical function that is generated when the program is executed. The curve is a
quasi-sinusoidal attenuated curve. There is a certain asymmetry caused by the two
damping elements.

Figure 2. Numerical solution for the Figure 3. Variation of the behavior of the
model of flexion-indentation series- force with different moduli of elasticity,
parallel with mass. model of flexion-indentation series-parallel
with mass.

As for the change in behaviour when the modulus of elasticity is varied, there is no
change in the symmetry of the functions generated, and the relationship between
maximum force and contact time is observed, as shown in figure 3. The calculated
displacements of the experimental curve and those calculated from the model are
also practically the same, as shown in figure 4. In addition, there are three curves
Validation of a non-conservative mechanical model 2635

obtained by the model that interprets the indentation in its plastic and elastic phase,
and the bending experienced by the sample on impact, this information allows us
to guess what is happening in the material, and makes it possible to discriminate the
dynamic phenomena due to the impact of the energy absorbed and recovered by the
material, even making it possible to differentiate the behavior of two materials that
can consume the same energy in a phenomenon of this type.

Figure 4. Experimental and numerical Figure 5. Variation of the coefficient of

displacement series-indentation model restitution as a function of the modulus of
series-parallel with mass. elasticity and Ci, model flexion-indentation
series-parallel with mass.

The behavior of the model reflects very well what has been observed experimentally
in various experiences, and which relate the increases in the modulus of elasticity
with increases in maximum force and decreases in contact time. On the other hand,
the energy loss in the model increases with increasing modulus of elasticity, which
is reflected in a decrease in the restitution coefficient values. This decrease is more
noticeable the lower the value of Ci, as shown in Figure 5. This shows a strong
influence of the indentation component within the behavior of the model, especially
in the initial time environment.

Figure 6. Variation of the behavior of the Figure 7. Variation of maximum force

force with different values of Ci, model of and contact time as a function of Ci,
flexion-indentation series-parallel with mass model flexion indentation series-parallel
. with mass.
2636 Milton F. Coba Salcedo et al.

Analyzing the model from the influence of Ci on its behavior confirms the previous
paragraph, since as shown in figure 6, a lower value in Ci will move the curves
away from the sinusoidal shape. This would physically represent an increase in the
deformation caused by the indentation phenomenon, so that this will be the
dominant mechanism in the early stages of the process. However, at high Ci values,
the differences between the curves are not as evident, so you would not expect
major changes in energy loss. These last affirmations are reflected in figures 6 and
7, where the variations of the behavior of the model according to the values of Ci
are shown, in the first figure it can be appreciated that both the maximum force and
the contact time will have a smaller variation the greater the values of the referred
constant. With regard to the restitution coefficients calculated by the model, as
shown in figure 8, they decrease when the Ci value decreases, which is consistent
with what physically occurs in materials. In this case three series were calculated,
each with a different modulus of elasticity. It is possible to observe that the
variations of the restitution coefficient are more marked the smaller the value of Ci
and the greater the value of E, although in the extreme of high values, the values of
the series converge towards a very similar value, reason why from this analysis it
can be said that to high values of Ci it will be had a smaller influence of the
phenomenon of indentation, predominating the effects due to the flexion, having in
the extreme the case of pure flexion.

Figure 8. Variation of the coefficient Figure 9. Variation of the behavior of

of restitution as a function of Ci for the force with different values of Vo,
different values of the modulus of model of flexion-indentation series-
elasticity, model flexion-indentation parallel with mass.
series-parallel with mass.

Increasing the impact velocity causes a variation in the amplitude of the curve,
varying the period of the function, this can be clearly seen in figure 9, where an
increase in the maximum force and a decrease in the contact time can be seen, which
is recorded in figure 10.
Validation of a non-conservative mechanical model 2637

Figure 10. Variation of force and Figure 11. Variation of the

contact time as a function of Vo, series- coefficient of restitution as a function
parallel indentation bending model with of the initial velocity for different
mass. values of Ci, model of flexion-
indentation series-parallel with mass.

The latter figure shows an almost linear trend between impact velocity and
maximum force. However, in terms of contact time, the greatest differences occur
at low speeds, with a negative slope. On the other hand, the values of the coefficient
of restitution vary negatively with increasing impact velocity, as shown in figure
11, this variation will be more noticeable the lower the value of Ci, and therefore
the greater the influence of the term indentation, as observed in figure 8. However,
if we analyze the effects of the impactor mass value in this model, we can see in
figure 12 that the effects will increase due to the indentation of the material
according to the model. This explains why in figure 13, it is observed that both the
contact time and the maximum force increase, although not in a linear way, with a
smaller increase the greater the values of m.

Figure 12. Variation of the behavior of Figure 13. Variation of maximum

the force with different values of the force and contact time as a function of
mass of the impactor, model flexion- the mass of the impactor.
indentation series-parallel with mass.

An increased presence of the indentation component will influence the values of

the coefficient of restitution. Thus, as more energy is used in the latter mechanism,
the non-elastic part of it will reduce the values of the coefficients, the greater
availability of energy at the same speed will make the deformation speeds of the
 2638 Milton F. Coba Salcedo et al.

shock-absorbing elements of both the bending and the indentation part greater, and
therefore the amount of energy absorbed will be greater.

4. Conclusions
An increased presence of the indentation component will influence the values of
the coefficient of restitution. Thus, as more energy is used in the latter mechanism,
the non-elastic part of it will reduce the values of the coefficients, the greater
availability of energy at the same speed will make the deformation speeds of the
shock-absorbing elements of both the bending and the indentation part greater, and
therefore the amount of energy absorbed will be greater.

References
[1] M. A. Macaulay, Introduction to Impact Engineering, 1st Edition, Springer,
New York, Editorial Chapman and Hall, 1987.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3159-6

[2] W. Goldsmith, Impact : The Physical Theory and Behaviour of Colliding Solids,
London: Edward Arnold Ltd., 1960.

[3] S. Turner, Mechanical Testing of Plastics, 2nd Edition, The plastics and Rubber
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[4] T A. Oswald and G. Menges, eds., Material Science of Polymers for Engineers,
2nd Edition, Hanser, Munich, 2003.

[5] J. G. Williams, Fracture Mechanics of Polymers, 1st Edition, Ellis Horwood

Series in Engineering Science, Chichester, 1994.

[6] A. B. Martínez, Técnicas de impacto de materiales plásticos y compuestos, 1ª.

[7] Edición, Publicaciones Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña, Barcelona, 1988.

[8] M. Sánchez-Soto, Comportamiento Mecánico y Fractura de Mezclas de

Poliestireno y Microesferas de Vidrio, Diss., Universitat Politècnica de
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[9] O. A. Jiménez Arévalo, Comportamiento a la Fractura De Composites Con

Matriz de Poliestireno, Diss., Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña, Terrassa,
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[10] J. Gámez Pérez, Relación Estructura-Propiedad En Placas Y Láminas De

Polipropileno Y Copolímeros En Bloque Etileno-Propileno Obtenidas Por
Validation of a non-conservative mechanical model 2639

Diferentes Procesos De Transformación, Diss., Universitat Politècnica de

Catalunya CCP, UPC Terrassa, 2006.

[11] Javier Antonio Navas López, Estudio, Evaluación y Modelado Del

Comportamiento de Indentación y Flexión-Indentación a Impacto de Baja
Energía de Materiales Termoplásticos, Diss., Universidad Politecnica de
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[12] R. J. Roark, Formulas for Stress and Strain, Mc Graw Hill, New York, 1954.

[13] W. C. Young, Roark’s Formulas for Stress and Strain. 6 Edition, Mc Graw
Hill, New York, 1989.

Received: June 25, 2018; Published: July 17, 2018