Non-uniform impact excitation of a cylindrical bar

An experimental and numerical study of a non-uniform impact excitation of a circular bar is reported. In experiments, nine strikers with different contact area were accelerated against a circular bar. Axial surface strain of the impacted bar was measured at several distances from the impinged end to include the near and the far fields. The same experimental conditions were solved numerically using a commercial finite element code. It was demonstrated that the far-field response is insensitive to both the size and the form of the striker's colliding end. The distance at which such insensitivity is set is estimated to be approximately one and a half bar diameters.