Hertz elastic dynamics of two colliding elastic spheres

Abstract

This paper revisits a classic problem in physics — Hertz elastic dynamics of two colliding elastic spheres. This study obtains impact period in terms of hypergeometric function and successfully combines Deresiewicz’s three segmental solutions into one single solution. Our numerical investigation confirms that Deresiewicz’s inversion is a good approximation. As an essential part of this study, a general Maple code is provided.

Keywords

• Hertz impact dynamics
• Exact solution
• Numerical solution
• Inversion
• Maple