Abstract:An essential problem in the design of mechanical impact systems is the impact of a piston on a rod. The impact of a semi-finite cylindrical piston on a non-uniform rod was studied. Based on wave mechanics and characteristic line theory, an inverse numerical approach to determine the piston profile was proposed, by means of which the geometry of an impact piston may be determined from the given stress waveform for a given rod profile. Numerical results show that the given stress waveform may be produced by means of the alternatives of design of piston and rod. There is good agreement between the experimental results and numerical results.

Key words: impact; piston profile; non-uniform rod; inverse numerical approach; stress waveform