🚀 go-pugleaf

I have been trying without much success to find the amount of
damage that a machine part will suffer when it is impacted by 
a moving body.  I understand that when the kinetic energy of
the moving body exceeds the maximum elastic strain energy of
the machine part, the part will (if we neglect the inertia of
the part and the energy dissipated during impact) either suffer
some permanent deformation or be crushed at the location where
the cross-sectional area is minimum.   I however do not know
how to find by how much the part will be crushed in such a case.
It could be found experimentally but it would also be beneficial
to be able to theoretically predict things.  The material is
pretty brittle but to simplify things, it might be easier to
ignore failure by crack propagation.  Any help will be greatly
appreciated.   


		     ********
		     * mass *  |  Free falling mass
		     *  m   *  |  from height h 
		     ********  V


                               |
                               |
                               V
		       ****  ---  Distance that will
          Machine     *    * ---  be crushed ??
           Part      *      *  ^
                    *        * |
                   *          *
              ___ *___________ * _____
	      ////////////////////////
		    Rigid Base
                 
  
  Data known regarding machine part:  
  
		Dimensions/geometry 
		Young's Modulus, E
		Compressive strength
		Ultimate tensile strength

Thanks in advance,

Alan Phang

alan@hpmalr50.mal.hp.com