Calculating wall's behavior at object impact

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SUMMARY

This discussion focuses on calculating the impact of an object, such as a punch or a car crash, on a wall. Key equations include F = ma for force, Ek = 1/2 mv² for kinetic energy, and P = F/A for pressure. The user successfully calculated the kinetic energy of a punch and determined that the force of impact can be derived from the rate of change in momentum. The discussion also highlights the importance of understanding internal stress and the nature of the impact, whether elastic or inelastic, to fully analyze wall behavior under such conditions.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Newton's laws of motion, specifically F = ma
  • Knowledge of kinetic energy calculations using Ek = 1/2 mv²
  • Familiarity with pressure calculations using P = F/A
  • Basic concepts of momentum and its rate of change during impacts
NEXT STEPS
  • Learn how to calculate internal stress in materials, focusing on stress-strain relationships
  • Research the differences between elastic and inelastic collisions and their effects on momentum
  • Explore material properties of concrete, brick, and steel to understand their impact resistance
  • Study the concept of impact duration and its significance in force calculations
USEFUL FOR

Engineers, physicists, and students studying mechanics, particularly those interested in material strength and impact analysis.

Aragorn49
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Homework Statement



Hello and thank you for reading my question. I am attempting to calculate what effect on a wall has an impact (a car impact or as in my theoretical calculations a punch) of an object into it. With effect I mean how strong impacts can a wall a, survive and b, stay undamaged. Since car crashes deal with too great numbers I have chosen as an example for calculations a punch Known data:

a = 9 m/s2
v = 7 m/s
m = 4 kg
Ek = 98 J
S (impact area) = 60 cm2
Wall thickness = 10 cm

Homework Equations



F = ma
Ek = 1/2 mv2
P = F/A
a = 1/2 S/t2

The Attempt at a Solution



I have gathered a large amount of data on concrete, brick, steel and mortar strength and fatigue limit. From what I know F = ma is only valid for stationary objects (like the force of me standing on a floor) but not for impacts. I calculated the kinetic energy of the punch but I don't know how to calculate the Force of the impact from it. Also, are the Force and the following pressure and stress from the force the only factors relevant in such an impact into a wall?

Another problem is that while I know how to calculate surface pressure of the impact, I don't know how to calculate internal stress. The equations are Fx/S, but I don't know how to acquire either of these variables. I also don't know what kind of stress a punch (or car crash) is, is it shear stress or flexural stress?
 
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To calculate Force in an impact you need to use:
Force = rate of change in MOMENTUM
You need to have some idea of the time duration of the impact and also whether the impact is elastic or ineleastic.
As an example, your 4kg moving at 7m/s has momentum of 28Ns.
If the collision lasts for 0.1 secs and the collision is inelastic then the rate of change in momentum is 28/0.1 = 280N... this is the force due to the collision.
Hope this helps
 
Thank you very much. It helped me a lot. Now that I know the force I only need to learn how to calculate internal stress in the wall.

Btw, one small question, by duration of the impact you mean how long the hand or the car stays touching the wall, right?
 

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