Debris impact forces generated during extreme events such as floods, tsunami, and hurricane storm surge can cause severe structural damage. To design the structures to resist such impact demands, it is necessary to be able to quantify debris impact forces. The goal of this study is to develop a simple model that accounts for additional nonstructural mass to estimate debris impact forces and durations accurately. Linear finite element models of a steel tube and shipping container were developed and validated by comparing with axial impact experiments. Parametric studies on the validated numerical models were carried out to investigate the effect of the amount and distribution of nonstructural mass on the impact forces generated. The results indicate that the impact force and duration are sensitive to the location and quantity of nonstructural mass present.
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