Impact dynamics for elastic membranes

We study the dynamic response of stretched thin polymeric films following an impact by a rigid sphere. We vary the sphere radius, the impact velocity, and the film tension, and measure the contact time and the maximum deflection of the film during the impact. The response is sensitive to nonlinearities associated with the additional tension provided by the deformation. A physical model at the scaling level is presented. This allows us (i) to understand qualitatively experimental and numerical results and (ii) to present a diagram mapping different possible impact dynamics for membrane systems, which accounts for the interplay between membrane tension, intrinsic modulus, and geometrical factors such as the frame size and the sphere radius.