Pulse loading shape effects on pressure–impulse diagram of an elastic–plastic, single-degree-of-freedom structural model

Pulse loading shape effects on the dynamical response of an elastic–plastic, single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) structural model are studied in the present paper. Two dimensionless parameters are introduced to classify the studied problem into elastic, elastic–plastic and rigid–plastic structural responses. When structural damage is controlled by maximum structural deflection, a characteristic curve in loading parameter space can be used to define an isodamage curve, i.e., pressure–impulse diagram, which is generally loading-shape-dependent. Dimensionless loading parameters, termed as effective loading parameters, are introduced in the present paper to give unique loading-shape-independent pressure–impulse diagram for each response category.