Experimental study on the dynamic behavior of TiNi cantilever beams with rectangular cross-section under transversal impact

The experimental investigation of TiNi alloy cantilever in the PE state and R-SME state, respectively, was conducted under transversal impact by using a modified Hopkinson bar apparatus. For comparison, the impact response of A3 steel cantilevers with the same geometry was also studied. The results show that at an early stage the elastic flexible waves dominate the wave response of the beam. After about 1 ms the dynamic structural response will be the main response. Under impact the “phase transformation hinge (TH)”, which differs from the conventional plastic hinge (PH), may form and undertake the main deformation and energy absorption in a cantilever. The impact position has a great influence on the location, time and number of the formation of TH, hence the response mode of a cantilever. After impact there is no residual deformation for a PE cantilever, there is a small residual deformation for an R-SME cantilever due to the R transition and large residual deformation for steel cantilevers due to the plasticity. The energy absorption efficiency of cantilevers for different materials and impact conditions are discussed.