Dynamic response analysis of geometrically non-linear structures subjected to high impact.

Description of an efficient digital computer method for the determination of the propagation of elastic stresses and deformations in certain geometrically nonlinear structures subjected to high impact loading. The finite-element matrix displacement approach utilizing curved quadrilateral shell elements in conjunction with a nodewise predictor-corrector method employing Runge-Kutta extrapolation techniques has been adopted for the present solution. The related computer program written in FORTRAN V for the UNIVAC 1108 computer has proved to be effective for the solution of a range of practical problems including rectangular and cylindrical panels. Numerical results are presented for a relevant structure, the cell container, and the negative electrode of an impact-resistant battery subjected to high impact, simulating its free landing on a planetary surface.