Golf is a popular sport in the United States, a lot of research has been done regarding its kinematics and scientific basics. However, this thesis focuses on the high-strain-rate deformation and fracture mechanism of a high-speed golf ball (over 160 mph) hitting a rigid plate. A finite-element model is created to approach this process. The finite-element code of Abaqus CAE 6.12 is used and Penn State Cloud computers are used for running the model when the number of nodes is too high for a personal computer.
Through FE simulation at different conditions, the relationship between maximum von Mises stress over the golf ball and initial speed is studied. The critical speed to cause fracture is predicted to be 90.47 m/s with volumetric compression up to 32%. In energy analysis, kinetic energy, strain energy and internal energy are investigated and energy conservation is observed. In FE simulation, only 0.01% of the total input energy is not accounted for after impacting a steel plate.
