Abstract
A simple and computationally efficient adaptive finite element analysis strategy has been adopted for accurate and reliable evaluation of contact force under transverse impact. Contact of a spherical and cylindrical impactor on FRP composite laminates are considered. Adaptive mesh refinement enables the finite element mesh to be obtained iteratively and automatically for the solution to have the desired level of accuracy. The refined meshes influence the calculated contact force and contact period appreciably. Influences of impactor velocity, mass of impactor, mass of the plate on discretization error as well as on contact force history have also been studied and are found to be sensitive.