Exploring the Efficacy of Drop-Weight Impact Test on Structural Components: A Comparative Investigation

In construction engineering, impact loading is a crucial consideration in designing structures that are intended to withstand sudden and intense forces. Engineers typically design structures with appropriate materials and geometries, and perform testing and simulations to assess the structural response to impact loading scenarios. This paper presents a review of various experimental investigations on structural elements exposed to impact loads. The parameters that determine the effectiveness of the drop-weight test on structural members are the main focus of the study. Comparisons are made between the type of impacts being simulated, the precision of the measurements taken, and the consistency of the testing conditions for various specimens. The study discusses the effect of impactor geometry, contact area and impact interlayer, the initial inclination of drop-weight, load cell placement relative to the peak impact force, and contact stiffness. The key factors to be considered while setting up drop-weight impact tests for structural elements are identified based on the comparison and accuracy of various methods. The comparison of the impactor head with different geometrical shapes demonstrates a higher peak impact force when the contact area of the impactor head increases while keeping other parameters governing the impact force as constant. Also, the placement of the load cell on the specimen improves the contact stiffness and produces a higher peak impact force within a shorter period. The comparison of response measuring devices in various experiments pins down the applicability of strain gauges, accelerometers, and laser displacement sensors as effective response-measuring devices.