Crushing resistance on the metal-based plate under impact loading: A systematic study on the indenter radius influence in grounding accident

The paper presents finite element (FE) simulations of an unstiffened plate specimen punched by a rigid indenter, to study their fracture behaviors and energy dissipation mechanisms. Load-displacement curves from the numerical results are presented for various indenter radii i.e., 35, 50, 65, 80, and 95 mm. Moreover, the outcomes of this investigation should have relevance to estimating grounding scenarios in which the bottom sustains local penetration. The numerical analysis includes the benchmarking study that is based on experimental data to ensure that the current result has satisfactory accuracy. It is concluded that the indenter radii play an important role in the crushing resistance of the plate, especially having a significant influence on the maximum force. Compared with the 35 mm cone radii, the maximum force measured in the tests increased by 110.97 % in the 95 mm indenter radius. Furthermore, the energy absorption produced by the 95 mm cone radius has a higher value at 32.23 kJ compared to 10.1 kJ, which was obtained from a 35 mm cone radius. Discussions on the effects of indenter velocities are also included in this study.