EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION INTO THE DYNAMIC PLASTIC RESPONSE AND PERFORATION OF A CLAMPED CIRCULAR PLATE STRUCK TRANSVERSELY BY A MASS

An experimental-investigation is reported on the dynamic response of a clamped circular plate struck transversely by a mass at any point alo ng a radial line. A study is made of the variation of the failure mode with a change of striker diameter-plate thickness ratio, together wit h an assessment of transverse shear effects and the energy-absorbing c apacity for impact velocities up to 12.2 m/s. The experimental results show that the steel and aluminium alloy targets fail by plugging with a plug having approximately the same diameter as the striker, which h as a blunt end. The experimental results also show that the energy-abs orbing capacity of a plate is reduced significantly when struck by a m ass close to the supports compared to a strike at the centre and that the transverse shear force plays a more dominant role when a mass stri kes close to the supports. A new criterion for the design of metal tar gets against projectile impact is proposed.