ON A PENALTY FORMULATION FOR CONTACT IMPACT PROBLEMS

A simple penalty method for contact-impact problems is presented in detail. The incorporation of contact constraints into FEM models is discussed with the focus on the difficulties of implementation of penalty approaches in contact-impact simulations. Based on nodal constraining, a penalty stiffness matrix of the fictitious contact element, not depending on the type of adjacent elements, is derived. The explicit lumped mass-central difference approach is used for solution. The choice of a good penalty parameter is the essence of the method. Simple examples are presented.