Impact response of rectangular and square stiffened plates supported on two opposite edges

• The dynamics of small-scale stiffened plates struck laterally by a mass is studied.
• The laboratory results are compared with numerical simulations.
• The plates are supported at two opposite edges and impacted at different locations.
• The contribution of the stiffeners to the impact response is insignificant.

Experimental drop weight impact tests have been performed to examine the dynamic response of small-scale stiffened plates struck laterally by a mass with a spherical indenter. The laboratory results are compared with numerical simulations. The plates stiffened with a flat bar or L profile are supported at two opposite edges and impacted at different velocities and locations along the span. The impact scenarios could represent incidents in marine structures, such as load actions due to dropped objects on decks. The experiments are conducted using a fully instrumented impact testing machine. The obtained force–displacement responses show a good agreement with the simulations performed by the LS-DYNA finite element solver. The finite element model includes defining the experimental boundary conditions so as to simulate small axial displacements of the specimen at the supports. This representation can be used to analyze the structural crashworthiness of similar marine structures under collision scenarios. The strain hardening of the material is defined using experimental data of quasi-static tension tests and the strain rate sensitivity is evaluated using standard coefficients of the Cowper–Symonds constitutive model. The results show that the plastic response of the specimens is highly sensitive to the amount of restraint provided at the supports. Furthermore, it is found that in most of the specimens the contribution of the stiffeners to the impact response is insignificant, since the ends of the stiffener are free at the unsupported edges and the specimens experience small axial displacements at the supports.