1Dept. of Mechanical Engg. Technology, Yanbu Industrial College, Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, P.O.: 30436.
2Dept. of Mechanical Technology, Jeddah College of Technology, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
In this paper, wave propagation in a thin rod struck by a rigid mass is considered and a finite element simulation of the system is developed. Both cases of free-free and fixed-free rods are considered. Though, impact generates a propagating stress wave in both cases, the free-free rod is going to have a rigid-body motion. The analytical equations of motion are presented and the corresponding finite element equations are derived. A numerical scheme is constructed and solutions are obtained using Newmark implicit integration method and Newton-Raphson iterative technique. Solutions include time histories of displacement, velocity, stress, and contact force. The contact force is calculated, according to St. Venant impact model. Numerical results of the simulation are compared to traditional analytical results. A simulated visualization of the propagation of the stress wave in the rod is presented, which enhances the understanding of this complicated physical phenomenon. The achieved results are accurate enough to have confidence in using this model for practical applications in wave propagation simulation and analysis.
Longitudinal impact, stress and strain analysis, wave propagation, finite element simulation
