Impact Dynamics: A Numerical Approach

Impact Dynamics: A Numerical Approach enables safer aerospace and mechanical designs by providing state-of-the-art techniques and methodologies for impact simulation and crashworthiness analysis of critical structural components. It investigates the shock type of dynamic loading situations as a part of mechanical design discussions.

Classical approaches to impact problems rely on purely empirical methods that correlate large amounts of experimental data; this approach, while useful for specific problems, often fails when extrapolating to design conditions outside the tested velocity ranges. In contrast, this book focuses on numerical simulations using current models to explain the underlying physics and demonstrate how this physics-based approach provides better insight into impact events and enables successful extrapolation of test data into new design spaces for handling complex industrial problems.

This book will be useful to aviation safety professionals, researchers, and practicing aerospace and mechanical design engineers.

Sunil K. Sinha is an independent technical consultant based in the USA. In 1977, he earned his Ph.D. in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from the University of Illinois at Urbana‑Champaign, USA, and has since been active in various applications of fragment containment, target penetration, and nonlinear dynamics, especially numerical simulations of contact-impact events in various aerospace applications in a propulsion system. He retired from GE Aerospace after 31 years, where he specialized in analytical predictions of flight-safety and engine survivability during catastrophic events and extreme conditions. During his tenure at GE, he also worked on several programs and projects with Livermore Software Technology Corporation (LS‑DYNA®), Boeing, Safran, the FAA, and the US Air Force. He has published over 35 papers in the area of impact dynamics and structural vibrations and serves as a technical reviewer for several leading publications.