A modelling of an impacted structure based on constraint modes

The modelling of impacted structures may have a high numerical cost. For low velocity impact problem, single degree-of-freedom models may be used efficiently. Nevertheless, sometimes, these models are not suitable to describe the dynamic behaviour of the structure. This paper presents a new model of impacted structures which may be viewed as an extension of the single degree-of-freedom existing models: it allows for the dynamic behaviour of a structure and the numerical cost is low. The fundamental elements of this model are single degree-of-freedom systems called “anti-oscillators”: the natural frequencies of these single degree-of-freedom systems correspond to the antiresonant frequencies of the structure. The applications given in this paper show that only a small number of anti-oscillators are required for accurate simulations of an impact event.