An impact test system design and its applications to dynamic buckling of a spacer grid assembly

This study is aimed at investigating the dynamic buckling load, dynamic stiffness, damping and buckling characteristics of the spacer grid assembly (SGA). A pendulum impact test system is designed to experiment the buckling of SGAs. Three criterions are discussed and compared to determine the buckling loads of SGAs: B-R criterion, energy criterion and extreme value criterion. Two approaches are applied to calculate the dynamic stiffness of SGAs: One method is natural period method based on the hypothesis of harmonic motion of the pendulum whose period is approximated because of the passivation and tailing of the impact force time history; and the other is energy method based on the conservation of mechanical energy. The equivalent viscous damping is defined as the resultant cause of dissipation and is obtained by the energy principle. The impact force time history loses its approximate symmetry after buckling occurs. The impact force and displacement reach their maxima almost at the same time at pre-buckling states but not post-buckling states. Vertical straps in SGA are found to be transversely shared by horizontal straps at the buckling position. The buckling of SGA results from the lack of strength of complete structure; and the strength of material has no effects on the buckling.