Experimental Methods of Capturing Events during Crash Loading of Plastics Components

In this study the surface of the bodies being impacted against each other are treated with special speckled paints. A stereophotogrammetric system employing two high speed cameras tracks x,y,z coordinate values during impact. The data is then converted to transient local deformation vectors and strain tensors of the local area on the plastics component being impacted. The camera can also capture displacement vectors of an impactor, a guided or free-flight projectile. Various measurement signals on the projectile and parts are fed into signal processors. These raw data are then processed by a software, specially developed by BASF, for various output data that can be correlated with the corresponding output from the CAE (Computer Aided Engineering) simulations, such as energy during crash processes, real time history of stress and strain on the plastic components. The technique has also been applied to high strain rate material property testing to produce more reliable rate-dependent material property for the dynamic simulation CAE analysis.