A CONTACT PHASE MODEL FOR THE ANALYSIS OF FLEXIBLE MECHANISMS UNDER IMPACT LOADING

An analytical study of flexible mechanisms subjected to impact loading is presented. A wave-propagation theory is incorporated into finite e lement analysis for the analytical modeling. This approach is based on interpreting the contact phase as an additional compatibility constra int to be satisfied during the contact interval. Instantaneous post-im pact and post-release jump discontinuities of the motion are predicted by a local stress wave propagation method. An experiment employing an accelerometer as a sensing device was conducted to verify the analyti cal results. This study shows that the impact motion of flexible mecha nisms can be modeled without obtaining the elastic restitution coeffic ients.