Converting energy to force at impact

[BPLafser]

Hello
This should be simple but for some reason I'm having some trouble with a test we are performing.

The end goal is to determine the average force required to damage a section of steel pipe experimentally with an impact tester. We built the tester and know what energy will hit the side of the tube (2" diameter, 1/8" wall thickness grade 50 steel) but I am uncertain how to correctly turn this to a force. I know that J/m can be converted to force but there is some debate on which distance we should be using.
It would make logical sense for us to use the distance the tube crumpled by upon impact but I am unsure as to how this would work as it does not consider the material we are testing. We could use a cardboard tube and get a much higher force than steel for the same height.
And advice you could offer would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Janus]

Hello
We could use a cardboard tube and get a much higher force than steel for the same height.

No. energy is force times distance(E=fd). So to get force from energy you would use f=E/d. A longer crumple distance gives as smaller force for the same energy.

 

[BPLafser]

Thank you.