Membrane factor method for large deflection response of beams and plates to intense dynamic loading

This paper deals with the large deflection of rigid-plastic structural members subjected to intense dynamic loads, such as explosive pressure and impact loadings. From the viewpoint of energy equilibrium, a theoretical procedure called the Membrane Factor Method was proposed by the authors in analyzing the dynamic plastic response of beams and plates with deflections in the range where both bending moments and membrane forces are of significance. The Membrane Factor Method is generalized and elaborated and its applications to various cases of dynamically loaded beams and plates are surveyed, with the expressions of the modifying membrane factors in each case being summarized and discussed. It is seen from comparison that the predictions by this method on the final deflections of beams and plates agree well with the corresponding experimental results for deflections up to 5-10 times of thickness. This procedure greatly improves the estimates from the bending-only theory and provides feasible complete response analyses, whose predictions are much more reliable than modal approximations.