Determining the impact behavior of concrete beams through experimental testing and meso-scale simulation: I. Drop-weight tests

This study investigates the impact behavior of concrete beams using drop-weight facility. Different tups were used and varying drop weights and heights were applied. This study measures impact loads, mid-span accelerations, and strains at the top and bottom edges of the beam. To distinguish the inertial and bending components of impact forces, inertial force is formulated based on elastic beam theory. When the strain rate ranges between 0.1 s−1 and 4 s−1, rate effect is significant given corresponding dynamic increase factors ranging from 1.6 to 3.4. Finally, the equilibrium of momentum–impulse and energy conversion are examined.