Hertz Beyond Belief
Classical Physics
2013-11-20 v2
Abstract
We examine the validity of Hertz's linear elastic theory for central collisions using a viscoelastic model. This model explains why Hertz's theory is accurate in predicting the collision time and maximum contact area even when of the kinetic energy is lost due to viscous dissipation. The main reason is that both the collision time and maximum contact area have a very weak dependence on the impact velocity. Moreover, we show that colliding objects exhibit an apparent size dependent yield strength, which results from larger objects dissipating less energy at a given impact velocity.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1306.4952,
title = {Hertz Beyond Belief},
author = {Andong He and John S. Wettlaufer},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1306.4952},
year = {2013}
}