ABSTRACT
This chapter summarizes the experimental, numerical and theoretical work that has been carried out on the structural dynamic behaviour of structures subjected to repeated mass impact loads. Numerical simulations together with experimental results give more detailed information on the mechanism during the repeated impact process. There are many realistic cases for naval architecture and ocean engineering structures subjected to repeated impacts caused by slamming, collisions, grounding and ice contact. The structural behaviour under repeated dynamic loadings has attracted the attention of many naval architects and ship designers. L. Zhu and D. Faulkner first proposed a simplified impact model in which a fully clamped plate is subjected to repeated lateral impacts by a travelling mass. Experiments have been conducted to study the structural behaviour under repeated impacts, which can be classified into two main types: the horizontal impact test and the drop test.
