Jean-Luc Lataillade

Analysis of load oscillations in instrumented impact testing

Abstract This work deals with the dynamic fracture tests of the 3-point bending notched specimen. The apparent frequency of the load oscillations is investigated for different materials (steel, aluminium, PMMA and Al 2 O 3 ). It is shown that the contact stiffness between the striker and the specimen plays a predominant role in the vibrating aspect of the impact. The 2 degrees of freedom (dof), intensively used in the literature, can predict the oscillations qualitatively, but cannot realistically model all the details of the vibrations of the specimen. A numerical model with several dof is considered by means of a modal analysis and analyzed through the experimental program.