Impact Analysis

In this project, the energy absorption and fracture behavior of a plastic cover was optimized during an impact test.

In this test, a steel ball hits the component horizontally and a certain amount of energy has to be absorbed. The analyses were carried out using Abaqus/Explicit. For the plastic, a material failure was defined based on a maximum allowable strain. This made it possible to simulate crack initiation and the breakout of structural parts.

The figures in the reference sheet show individual states during impact on a half model. Points A to D are drawn in the diagram, which shows the decrease of kinetic energy during the impact.

Through efficient use of simulation, it was possible to define an appropriate geometry that also passed the real test. Thus, tooling costs could be reduced to a minimum.