Table Of ContentSTRUCTURAL CRASHWORTHINESS
AND FAILURE
STRUCTURAL
CRASHWORTHINESS
AND FAILURE
Edited by
NORMAN JONES
Department of Mechanical Engineering
The University of Liverpool
Liverpool, UK
and
TOMASZ WIERZBICKI
Department of Ocean Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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Structural Crashworthiness and Failure
I. Jones, Norman II. Wierzbicki, Tomasz 624.1
ISBN 0-203-86045-4 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 1-85166-969-8 (Print Edition)
Library of Congress CIP Data
Structural crashworthiness and failure/edited by Norman Jones and
Tomasz Wierzbicki.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-85166-969-8
1. Impact. 2. Structural failures. 3. Metals–Impact testing.
I. Jones, Norman. II. Wierzbicki, Tomasz.
TA654.2.S77 1993
624.1′71–dc20 92–37840 CIP
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PREFACE
This book contains 12 chapters that were presented as invited lectures at the Third
International Symposium on Structural Crashworthiness held at the University of Liverpool,
Liverpool, UK, 14–16 April 1993.
This Symposium was a logical continuation and extension of two previous Symposia
held in 1983 and 1988, and was organised in order to examine recent developments in
structural crashworthiness and failure. Particular emphasis has been given in this book to
the failure predictions for ductile metal structures under large dynamic loads and to the
behaviour of composite and cellular structures.
The First International Symposium of Structural Crashworthiness was organised by the
present editors in 1983, at the University of Liverpool. The proceedings were published
in the book Structural Crash-worthiness1 and in the special issues of two international
journals.2,3 It was the principal objective of the first meeting to summarize the advances in the
structural crashworthiness of a wide range of transportation modes (aircraft, automobiles,
buses, helicopters, ships, trains and offshore platforms) and to review the developments
in the non-linear large-deflection response of structural members and energy absorbing
systems. This meeting emphasized the ductile behaviour of structures and components.
The Second International Symposium on Structural Crashworthiness was organised five
years later at MIT, with the proceedings published in the book Structural Failure4 and in
special issues of two international journals.5,6 This meeting emphasized various aspects
of structural failure that limit integrity and energy absorbing capacity in many practical
situations.
The topics discussed in the first and second symposia are fundamental to the areas of
structural crashworthiness and energy absorbing systems as well as for safety calculations
and hazard assessments in many industries. For example, a study of the dynamic inelastic
behaviour of a side plating on a ship involved in a collision is also of interest for the
hazard assessment of an offshore platform deck struck by a dropped object. Similarly, the
dynamic transverse indentation of a cylindrical shell or tube is relevant to the structural
crashworthiness of an offshore platform brace or leg struck by a ship or the hazard assessment
of a land-based gas pipeline struck by a dropped object during maintenance operations, for
example. Many other examples can be found from a wide spectrum of industries. These
are highly non-linear dynamic structural problems with complex geometries, for which it
is essential to integrate the material behaviour into the structural response.
The chapters in this book are now introduced briefly.
Chapters 1–4 focus on the failure of ductile metal structures, and Chapter 5 examines
a related topic on the perforation of metal tubes. Bammann et al. in Chapter 1 develop an
internal state variable type of criterion specifically for numerical applications, which can
be used to predict the failure of ductile metal structures subjected to large dynamic loads.
These approaches are becoming increasingly possible for designers because of the increase
in computing capability per unit cost and other developments over the past 10 years since
vi Preface
the First Symposium, though they are not yet quite cheap enough and easy enough to use in
many non-military related industries. Homes et al. in Chapter 2 use a simpler local damage
model and assume that failure occurs when the equivalent plastic strain reaches a critical
failure strain that is a function of the stress triaxiality.
An energy density theory is discussed in Chapter 3 for ductile beams subjected to
large dynamic loads. This criterion is developed for use with theoretical and numerical
formulations based on generalized stresses. Ferron and Zeghloul review in Chapter 4 the
topics of strain localization and fracture in metal sheets and thin-walled structures, mainly
from a metal-forming viewpoint, but the ideas should have value for future studies on
structural failure. Stronge in Chapter 5 reports on the indentation and perforation of metal
tubes struck by a missile. This is an area of increasing interest to designers because of
the requirement to assess the safety of many engineering systems from a wide range of
hazards.
Chapters 6–8 focus on the behaviour of non-metal structures subjected to various large
dynamic loads. Kindervater and Georgi in Chapter 6 review the experimental literature
on the energy absorption and structural resistance of high-performance structures made
from composite materials, mainly from an aircraft crashworthiness perspective, but their
treatment contains important information for many other areas. Haug and de Rouvray in
Chapter 7 study the numerical simulation and prediction of the crashworthy behaviour
of structures and components made from fibre-reinforced composite materials. Particular
emphasis is placed on the collision protection of automobiles, but again the results are
relevant to many other industries. Reid et al. in Chapter 8 review recent studies on the
dynamic response of cellular structures and cellular materials. This article concentrates on
the basic mechanics and points out the importance of microbuckling and microinertia of
the individual cells.
Yu in Chapter 9 explores the importance of material elasticity for the behaviour of
structures that are subjected to dynamic loads producing large plastic strains.
McGregor et al. in Chapter 10 examine the impact performance of aluminium structures,
mainly from the viewpoint of the crashworthiness of automobile structures. The principal
objective of this study is to provide data for the design of aluminium structures, and, for
example, the crushing and bending behaviour of various thin-walled open cross-sections is
examined and compared with the behaviour of similar steel components.
Carney in Chapter 11 discusses the energy dissipation characteristics of impact
attenuation systems such as guardrail end protection and crash cushions used for motorway
safety applications in the United States. The issues for the further development of these
protection systems are ventilated, and some suggestions made for further progress.
Finally, Chapter 12 returns to the failure of structural members, but this time for the
crushing, cutting and tearing of ships scantlings associated with grounding damage.
Analytical methods of analysis are developed and simplified, and compared with the results
of small-scale experiments.
The contents of this book and the companion proceedings published in special issues
of the International Journal of Impact Engineering7 and the International Journal of
Mechanical Sciences8 are relevant to a wide range of safety calculations, hazard assessments
and energy absorbing systems throughout engineering, as well as for developments in the
field of structural crashworthiness. The public is becoming increasingly aware of safety
Preface vii
and environmental issues as a result of several recent accidents,9,10 and very often dynamic
loads play an important role in disasters. Further progress towards the optimization of
engineering structures and components, which leads to lighter structures and vehicles,
again increases the importance of dynamic loads and structural crashworthiness, and the
requirement to estimate the actual failure loads of various systems. Thus it is likely that
the field of structural crashworthiness and failure will continue to grow in importance. It
is evident from this book that much has already been achieved, but also that much more
understanding of the basic mechanics is still required, as well as the generation of design
methods and design data.
The editors hope that this book will help to attract research workers into this challenging
field and stimulate them to tackle the associated complex non-linear problems from
theoretical, experimental and numerical viewpoints. The prize at the end of the day is a
deeper understanding of non-linear structural mechanics as well as the achievement of a
cleaner environment and the protection of the public by contributing to a safer world with
fewer major accidents.
The editors would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the authors and reviewers
for their assistance in the preparation of this book. Thanks are also due to Mrs M.White of
the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Liverpool.
Norman Jones
Liverpool, England
Tomasz Wierzbicki
Cambridge, Masschusetts
September 1992
REFERENCES
1. Jones, N. & Wierzbicki, T., eds, Structural Crashworthiness. Butterworth, Guildford, UK,
1983.
2. Int. J. Impact Engng, 1, No. 3 (1983).
3. Int. J. of Mech. Sci., 25, Nos 9/10 (1983).
4. Wierzbicki, T. & Jones, N., Structural Failure. Wiley, New York, 1989.
5. Int. J. Impact Engng, 7, No. 2 (1988).
6. Int. J. Mech. Sci., 30, Nos 3/4 (1988).
7. Int. J. Impact Engng, 13, No. 2 (1993).
8. Int. J. Mech. Sci., 35, No. 4 (1993).
9. Department of Transport, Investigation into the Clapham Junction Railway Accident, HMSO,
London, 1989.
10. Tanker Spills—Prevention by Design. National Research Council, National Academy of
Sciences, Washington, DC, 1991.
CONTENTS
Preface v
1. Failure in Ductile Materials Using Finite Element Methods 1
D.J.BAMMANN, M.L.CHIESA, M.F.HORSTEMEYER AND
L.I.WEINGARTEN
2. Modelling the Process of Failure in Structures 48
B.S.HOLMES, S.W.KIRKPATRICK, J.W.SIMONS, J.H.GIOVANOLA AND
L.SEAMAN
3. Criteria for the Inelastic Rupture of Ductile Metal Beams Subjected to Large
Dynamic Loads 82
N.JONES AND W.Q.SHEN
4. Strain Localisation and Fracture in Metal Sheets and Thin-Walled Structures 113
G.FERRON AND A.ZEGHLOUL
5. Impact on Metal Tubes: Indentation and Perforation 142
W.J.STRONGE
6. Composite Strength and Energy Absorption as an Aspect of Structural Crash
Resistance 162
C.M.KINDERVATER AND H.GEORGI
7. Crash Response of Composite Structures 204
E.HAUG AND A.DE ROUVRAY
8. Dynamic Compression of Cellular Structures and Materials 257
S.R.REID, T.Y.REDDY AND C.PENG
9. Elastic Effects in the Dynamic Plastic Response of Structures 295
T.X.YU
10. Impact Performance of Aluminium Structures 333
I.J.MCGREGOR, D.J.MEADOWS, C.E.SCOTT AND A.D.SEEDS
11. Motorway Impact Attenuation Devices: Past, Present and Future 366
J.F.CARNEY III
12. Grounding Damage of Ships 404
T.WIERZBICKI AND P.THOMAS
Index 440
LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS
D.J.BAMMANN
Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, California 94550, USA
J.F.CARNEY, III
Department of Civil Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
37235, USA
M.L.CHIESA
Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, California 94550, USA
G.FERRON
LPMM, ISGMP, URA CNRS 1215, Ile du Saulcy, 57045 Metz Cedex 01, France
H.GEORGI
Institute for Structures and Design, DLR, Pfaffenwaldring 38–40, 7000 Stuttgart
80, Germany
J.H.GIOVANOLA
SRI International, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
E.HAUG
Research and Development, Engineering System International, SA, 20 rue Saarinen,
Silic 270, 94578 Rungis Cedex, France
B.S.HOLMES
SRI International, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
M.F.HORSTEMEYER
Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, California 94550, USA
N.JONES
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Liverpool, PO Box 147,
Liverpool L69 3BX, UK
C.M.KINDERVATER
Institute for Structures and Design, DLR, Pfaffenwaldring 38–40, 7000 Stuttgart
80, Germany
S.W.KIRKPATRICK
SRI International, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
I.J.MCGREGOR
Alcan International Limited, Banbury Laboratory, Southam Road, Banbury,
Oxfordshire OX16 7SP, UK
