An estimation method for the Shock Response Spectrum propagating into plates subjected to hypervelocity impact

The present work regards the prevision through Finite Element Analysis (FEA) codes of the Shock Response Spectrum (SRS) levels on thin plates subjected to Hypervelocity Impact (HVI). An experimental campaign has been performed to measure the accelerations caused by HVI and a method minimizing the number of simulations needed to predict the experimental curve has been sought. The method reconstructs an equivalent force impulse that is used as input for the model of the plate. The shape and amplitude are selected to numerically match the SRS curve obtained by experiments. The comparison between the experimental and the numerical SRS remains within an uncertainty band of +/-3 dB, thus sensibly smaller than the usual one for shock impacts (often +/-6 dB). Additionally, the equivalent force peak can be used as an input to evaluate acceleration in other points of the structure or to perform analyses using different models. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.