Impact Mechanics

W. J. Stronge (Ph.D. Stanford Applied Mechanics) joined Cambridge University in 1981 and currently is Professor Emeritus of Applied Mechanics in the Department of Engineering at thw University of Cambridge and an Adjutant Professor of Engineering at the University of California, Davis. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and Fellow of the American Academy of Mechanics. Professor Stronge is the author of two books: Structural Models for Dynamic Plasticity (1993) and Impact Mechanics (Cambridge, 2000). Professor Stronge's specialty is mechanics of solids. He performs and supervises both theoretical and experimental research on impact response of plastically deforming solids directed towards applications in design of light, crashworthy structures and energy absorbing collision barriers. Aspects of this research are the dynamics of solids with cellular microstructure and propagation of phase transformations in reactive media. Some applications are related to mechanics of sports; in particular how design of sports equipment affects performance.

1. Introduction to analysis of low-speed impact; 2. Collinear rigid body impact; 3. Planar or 2-D rigid body impact; 4. 3-D impact of rough rigid bodies; 5. Tangential compliance in planar impact of rough bodies; 6. Continuum modeling for local deformation neat contact area; 7. Wave propagation from impact on slender deformable bodies; 8. Generalized impact analysis of multibody systems; 9. Viscoelastic or viscoplastic impact; 10. Impact against flexible structures; 11. Propagating transformations of state in self-organizing systems; 12. Impact of sports balls.