Structural Dynamics Laboratory

STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS LABORATORY

Impact tests

The Structural Dynamics Laboratory is a research facility that specializes in the analysis and modelling of the dynamic behaviour of materials, components and structural systems. Its main piece of equipment is a drop tower for impact testing, a specialized infrastructure designed specifically to assess the behaviour and strength of structures and components in controlled collisions. Using a free-falling mass system, it can reproduce impacts at different speeds and energy levels, simulating real-world collision scenarios experienced by structural components that must maintain their integrity under severe impact conditions. The tower provides detailed data on accelerations, transmitted forces, energy absorption and failure modes—information that is essential for optimising designs and validating safety standards. Its versatility has made it an indispensable tool in the research and development of protective technologies across a wide range of industrial sectors.

The Structural Dynamics Laboratory is a research facility that specializes in the analysis and modelling of the dynamic behaviour of materials, components and structural systems. Its main piece of equipment is a drop tower for impact testing, a specialized infrastructure designed specifically to assess the behaviour and strength of structures and components in controlled collisions. Using a free-falling mass system, it can reproduce impacts at different speeds and energy levels, simulating real-world collision scenarios experienced by structural components that must maintain their integrity under severe impact conditions. The tower provides detailed data on accelerations, transmitted forces, energy absorption and failure modes—information that is essential for optimising designs and validating safety standards. Its versatility has made it an indispensable tool in the research and development of protective technologies across a wide range of industrial sectors.

The laboratory

Research areas

Structural impact: Experimental and numerical analysis of the behaviour of structures and components undergoing impact loads, defining the dynamic response and deformation mechanisms across different impact speeds and intensities.
Design and optimisation of protective structures: Development of impact protection systems through the integration of experimental tests and advanced numerical models to maximize efficiency and energy absorption.
Structures and materials for energy absorption: Research into new materials, geometries and structural configurations able to effectively dissipate the kinetic energy of an impact, minimising the transmitted accelerations and damage caused to the protected elements.
Crashworthiness in the automotive and aeronautics industries: Evaluation of the ability of land vehicles and aircraft to withstand collisions without compromising passenger safety, by testing critical components.
Failure modes and fracture mechanisms on impact: Identification and characterisation of the different modes of failure experienced by structural materials and components under impact loads, providing design criteria and recommendations.
Experimental validation of safety standards: Carrying out regulatory impact tests to verify compliance with international safety standards for structures, vehicles and protective systems.

Technical equipment

Interchangeable impact test specimens: four test specimens with different masses (from 2 kg to 500 kg), which can be adjusted in increments of 1 to 20 kg, and are suitable for multiple test configurations.
Gear motor with trapezoidal thread: a mechanical system that raises the trolley precisely and safely, complete with a pneumatic clamping and release system.
Anti-rebound system and cushioning: safety elements on the bench to avoid rebounds and ensure the integrity of the tests.

Key features

Controlled energy range and impact speeds: The tower can perform tests with drop heights ranging from 0.5 m to 4.875 m, which covers a wide range of impact energies from 10 J to 24 kJ, with impact speeds of up to 9.8 m/s (35.2 km/h). This versatility makes it possible to simulate anything, from low-energy impacts to severe collisions, allowing it to adapt to the specific requirements of many different industries and applications.
Versatility of materials and components that can be tested: The laboratory makes it possible to carry out experimental characterisation of both complete structures and test specimens. This feature allows the analysis of complex structural systems and the evaluation of the dynamic properties of individual materials, which provides multi-scale information.
High-resolution dynamic data acquisition: The infrastructure allows us to record and process detailed data on accelerations, transmitted forces, energy absorption and deformation patterns during impact.

Infraestructure

Impact tower

The impact tower has a 2.5 m × 2.5 m metal platform supporting two pillars of 7m in height connected by an upper closing beam. A lifting carriage moves between these pillars; using a pneumatic system, it supports an impact carriage with a dynamic load cell and an impactor. The carriage is released at the predefined height and impacts the structure, which is secured to the test bench. The process is fully automated and offers the highest standards of safety.

The movement of the lifting carriage is controlled by a gear motor that drives a non-reversible trapezoidal threaded spindle. The connection between the lifting carriage and the impact carriage is pneumatic, and displacement, speed, and weight measuring systems are available for test control, along with a safety rebound damping system on the bench. The test area is 1 m wide and has a test bench length of 2.5 m, which can be extended up to 6 m for structures with supports outside the test bench.

The tower can launch objects weighing between 2 and 500 kg from heights of up to 4.875 m, reaching maximum speeds of 9.8 m/s (35.2 km/h). The impact energy levels can be adjusted using impactors with variable masses and different drop heights, covering an energy range of between 10 J and 23.9 kJ. The facility has several types of impactors, equipped with systems for measuring forces, velocities and accelerations at sampling frequencies ranging from 500 Hz to 4 MHz.

This infrastructure is designed to test the impact behaviour of structures and components across all industrial sectors. Its versatility makes it possible to test any system that needs to be validated in terms of resistance to impact loads, within the energy and velocity ranges offered by the facility. The equipment is available to all CITEEC companies and research groups looking to certify the performance of their prototypes and products under development through controlled impact testing.