IMPACT DAMAGE IN BRITTLE MATERIALS IN ELASTIC-PLASTIC RESPONSE REGIME

A brittle material may be exposed to plastic deformation or fracture if impacted by a hard object. The impact fracture created in the elastic-plastic response regime has been characterized in terms of its surface extension and penetration. A numerical dynamic analysis has been performed of a typical impact within this regime to indicate some of the principal characteristics of the contact behavior and the stress field. The damage has then been analyzed, by using simplified postulates based on key features of the impact dynamics and basic fracture mechanics concepts. This has enabled the primary material and target parameters affecting the impact fracture to be identified.