Development of a finite element model for a table tennis ball based on rebound behavior

Abstract

The objective of this study was to construct a finite element model of a table tennis ball, and to devise a method for the construction of the ball model by investigating the factors affecting the behavior of the ball during and after impact. A ball model with viscoelasticity was constructed using the Maxwell model and was composed of shell elements. Normal and oblique impacts with a flat rigid plate were simulated to reveal the relationship between the material properties and the rebound behavior of the ball, that is the deformation, velocity, angle and spin rate, by varying the individual material constants which was composed of the material model of the ball. Impact experiments were also conducted to obtain the rebound behavior of the ball which was ascertained from images taken by a high-speed video camera. Then, a method for the construction of the ball model was proposed based on these relationships and the experimental results of the rebound behavior. The results simulated using the model, constructed by the proposed method, and closely matched the experimental results. The proposed method for constructing the FE model for the table tennis ball may be applicable to quick identification of the material parameters.