Borges-Irizarry, Alexander

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    Behavior of corrugated metal panels for use as storm shutters
    (2009) Borges-Irizarry, Alexander; López-Rodríguez, Ricardo R.; College of Engineering; Godoy, Luis A.; Zapata López, Raúl E.; Saffar, Alí; Department of Civil Engineering; Montejo, Luis A.
    This investigation presents a study of the nonlinear dynamics of thin-walled folded plate structures under the localized impact of a rigid object. The research emerges in the context of the structural design and assessment of storm shutters used to protect windows and doors during hurricanes. The development of a testing facility for storm shutter panels and test results are introduced as a fundamental source of information for the proposed analytical approach. Two impact tests were carried out to validate the functionality of the testing facility. The tests consisted in the evaluation of two specimens subjected to the impact of a 2’x 4” piece of wood. For both tests, the impacted panels suffered a permanent deformation and a failure at the lower support was achieved when some of the clips or connectors were lost. Numerical analyses were carried out using the general purpose finite element code ABAQUS. Models simulated the interaction of contact of windborne debris traveling at a specific velocity against the shutters. As a result, a nonlinear dynamics response was computed leading to plastic deformations of the shutters. The obtained permanent deformation values were compared with the ones measured from the specimens evaluated in the testing facility. Parameters like geometrical configuration of panels, materials, boundary conditions, impact location and missile velocity were evaluated to determine the most detrimental behavior of the storm shutter assembly by means of parametric studies. A nonlinear behavior was obtained for all the studied parameters. For missile velocities greater than 25 mph, the maximum displacement of the impacted panel exceeded 3 inches. Therefore, elements to be protected by storm shutter panels can be damaged due to the contact produced by the impacted panel. The results showed that the edge rotation of the panels was reduced when different boundary conditions and a larger number of panels were used in the assembly. Three zones of maximum stresses were identified to occur in the impact panel. The maximum stresses were generated at each zone following a sequence of occurrence which varied according to the rigidity of the system. Failure of the material was not achieved in any case.