Experimental and numerical investigation of the damage characteristics of a ship side plate laterally punched by a scaled raked bow indenter

Experimental and numerical simulation studies are conducted on a scaled ship side-shell quasi-statically punched at the mid-span by a raked bow indenter to investigate its damage characteristics from deformation to a large opening. A scaled stiffened panel and a raked bow indenter are designed in model tests. Numerical simulation is performed to simulate the indentation responses. The experimental and numerical results are compared well in terms of resistance-penetration curves, final damage shapes and especially the three failure models, i.e., initial fracture, model “I” crack and model “III” crack. In addition, the whole damage process, the energy dissipation characteristics of the specimen and failure related parameters in three specific failed elements corresponding to the three failure models are analyzed through numerical simulation. The results demonstrate that the energy dissipated by the stiffener and frictional effect is substantial during the crack propagation process. In addition, shell elements involved with three failure models prior to fracture are mainly subjected to tension and bending effects, as shell elements cannot satisfactorily simulate the transverse shear effect. Finally, the influences of collision parameters, the failure sequence of integration points, modeling of weld seams, mesh resolution and failure criteria on the numerical simulation results are discussed.