OBLIQUE IMPACT AT THE TIP OF A CANTILEVER

Simultaneous transverse and axial impulsive loads on a block at the tip of a rigid-plastic cantilever result in a flexural "plastic hinge" and a pulse of plastic stretch that separate as they travel away from the tip. Experiments on aluminium alloy cantilevers show that the axial component of a brief explosive blast pulse does not significantly influence flexural deformation if the block is light in comparison with the cantilever. The additional consideration of finite rotary inertia for the mass at the tip reduces the flexural deformation near the tip.