Numerical simulations of impacts using a discrete element method

Impacts of rigid spherical nose shaped missiles on concrete beams are simulated with a discrete element method. The history of the structural damage of the beam is followed from the very first crushing and fracturing processes to the ultimate fragmentation step. Spalling, scabbing, penetration and perforation events are characterized and compared with real test cases of the civil engineering industry. It is found that these phenomena depend not only on the kinetic energy of the missile as predicted by some recent empirical laws but also on its momentum. This means that the dynamic impact loading time is determinant in the scabbing and perforation thicknesses. When the numerical data is plotted against the empirical rules determined from experimental data, the fit is good although the model is two dimensional. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.