SCALING OF AN IMPACTED RETICULATED DOME USING PARTIAL SIMILITUDE METHOD

Abstract

STRAIN-RATE EFFECTS CAN DISTORT MODEL TESTING WITH GEOMETRICALLY-SIMILAR MODELS. IN IMPACT MODELLING THIS PROBLEM IS USUALLY ADDRESSED BY REVISING THE IMPACT CONDITIONS, BUT SUCH KIND OF METHOD IS INADEQUATE FOR MODELLING IMPACT ON A RETICULATED DOME. A NEW TECHNIQUE WAS PROPOSED AND TESTED. APART FROM ADJUSTING THE IMPACT CONDITIONS, THE TECHNIQUE ADDS ADDITIONAL MASS TO COMPONENTS OF THE MODEL TO BALANCE THE STRAIN-RATE EFFECTS. THAT ALLOWS STUDYING IN MODEL SCALE MORE COMPLEX STRUCTURES IN WHICH THE STRAIN RATE VARIES OVER THE STRUCTURE’S COMPONENTS. MODEL SCALE TESTS OF IMPACT ON A RETICULATED DOME SHOWED GOOD AGREEMENT WITH FULL SCALE IN TERMS OF DISPLACEMENTS AND AXIAL FORCES ON THE STRUCTURE’S RODS. THOSE RESULTS VERIFY THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE NEW TECHNIQUE.