Weinong Chen

Pulse Shaping Techniques for Testing Brittle Materials with a Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar

We present pulse shaping techniques to obtain compressive stress-strain data for brittle materials with the split Hopkinson pressure bar apparatus. The conventional split Hopkinson pressure bar apparatus is modified by shaping the incident pulse such that the samples are in dynamic stress equilibrium and have nearly constant strain rate over most of the test duration. A thin disk of annealed or hard C11000 copper is placed on the impact surface of the incident bar in order to shape the incident pulse. After impact by the striker bar, the copper disk deforms plastically and spreads the pulse in the incident bar. We present an analytical model and data that show a wide variety of incident strain pulses can be produced by varying the geometry of the copper disks and the length and striking velocity of the striker bar. Model predictions are in good agreement with measurements. In addition, we present data for a machineable glass ceramic material, Macor, that shows pulse shaping is required to obtain dynamic stress equilibrium and a nearly constant strain rate over most of the test duration.

A split Hopkinson bar technique for low-impedance materials

An experimental technique that modifies the conventional split Hopkinson pressure bar has been developed for measuring the compressive stress-strain responses of materials with low mechanical impedance and low compressive strengths such as elastomers at high strain rates. A high-strength aluminum alloy was used for the bar materials instead of steel, and the transmission bar was hollow. The lower Youngs modulus of the aluminum alloy and the smaller cross-sectional area of the hollow bar increased the amplitude of the transmitted strain signal by an order of magnitude as compared to a conventional steel bar. In addition, a pulse shaper lengthened the rise time of the incident pulse to ensure stress equilibrium and homogeneous deformation in the low-impedance specimen. Experimental results show that the high strain rate, compressive stress-strain behavior of an elastomeric material can be determined accurately and reliably using this technique.

A split Hopkinson pressure bar technique to determine compressive stress-strain data for rock materials

This paper presents a split Hopkinson pressure bar technique to obtain compressive stress-strain data for rock materials. This technique modifies the conventional split Hopkinson bar apparatus by placing a thin copper disk on the impact surface of the incident bar. When the striker bar impacts the copper disk, a nondispersive ramp pulse propagates in the incident bar and produces a nearly constant strain rate in a rock sample. Data from experiments with limestone show that the samples are in dynamic stress equilibrium and have constant strain rates over most of the test durations. In addition, the ramp pulse durations can be controlled such that samples are unloaded just prior to failure. Thus, intact samples that experience strains beyond the elastic region and postpeak stresses can be retrieved for microstructural evaluations. The paper also presents analytical models that predict the time durations for sample equilibrium and constant strain rate. Model predictions are in good agreement with measurements.

Tension and compression tests of two polymers under quasi-static and dynamic loading

Abstract Testing methods have been developed to determine the dynamic stress–strain responses and failure behavior of an epoxy, Epon 828/T-403, and a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) under high-strain-rate uniaxial tension and compression conditions. A split Hopkinson tension bar was modified for the dynamic tensile stress–strain behavior of the low-strength and low-mechanical-impedance specimens. An aluminum split Hopkinson pressure bar was used to determine the dynamic compressive responses. A pulse-shaping technique was employed in both dynamic tension and compression experiments to ensure that valid experimental conditions were satisfied. Results show that, compared with quasi-static behavior, dynamic tension causes smaller failure strains, whereas dynamic compression results in significantly higher compressive strengths for both materials.

Mechanical Properties of Kevlar® KM2 Single Fiber

Kevlar® KM2 fiber is a transversely isotropic material. Its tensile stress-strain response in the axial direction is linear and elastic until failure. However, the overall deformation in the transverse directions is nonlinear and nonelastic, although it can be treated linearly and elastically in infinitesimal strain range. For a linear, elastic, and transversely isotropic material, five material constants are needed to describe its stress-strain response. In this paper, stress-strain behavior obtained from experiments on a single Kevlar KM2 fiber are presented and discussed. The effects of loading rate and the influence of axial loading on transverse and transverse loading on axial stress-strain responses are also discussed.

Dynamic stress equilibration in split Hopkinson pressure bar tests on soft materials

The condition of dynamic stress equilibrium is not satisfied automatically when a split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) is employed to determine the dynamic properties of soft materials. In order to develop guidelines for the proper design of SHPB experiments under valid testing conditions, an integrated experimental/analytical study has been conducted to examine the process of dynamic stress equilibrium in a soft rubber specimen. Dynamic compressive experiments on a RTV 630 and an ethylene-propylene-diene monomer rubber with a SHPB modified for soft material testing were conducted to determine the effects of specimen thickness and loading rate on the stress equilibrating process. An analytical model was employed to analyze the equilibrating processes observed in experiments. It is found that the incident loading rate dominates the initial non-equilibrium stress state, and the specimen thickness mainly affects the dynamic stress equilibrium after the initial stage.

A quartz-crystal-embedded split Hopkinson pressure bar for soft materials

A dynamic experimental technique that is three orders of magnitude as sensitive in stress measurement as a conventional split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) has been developed. Experimental results show that this new method is effective and reliable for determining the dynamic compressive stress-strain responses of materials with low mechanical impedance and low compressive strengths, such as elastomeric materials and foams at high strain rates. The technique is based on a conventional SHPB. Instead of a surface strain gage mounted on the transmission bar, a piezoelectric force transducer was embedded in the middle of the transmission bar of a high-strength aluminum alloy to directly measure the weakly transmitted force profile from a soft specimen. In addition, a pulse-shape technique was used for increasing the rise time of the incident pulse to ensure stress equilibrium and homogeneous deformation in the low-impedance and low-strength specimen.

Dynamic Compression Testing of Soft Materials

Low-strength and low-impedance materials pose significant challenges in the design of experiments to determine dynamic stress-strain responses. When these materials are tested with a conventional split Hopkinson pressure bar, the specimen will not deform homogeneously and the tests are not valid. To obtain valid data, the shape of the incident pulse and the specimen thickness must be designed such that the specimens are in dynamic equilibrium and deform homogeneously at constant strain rates. In addition, a sensitive transmission bar is required to detect the weak transmitted pulses. Experimental results show that homogeneous deformations at nearly constant strain rates can be achieved in materials with very low impedances, such as a silicone rubber and a polyurethane foam, with the experimental modifications presented in this study. ©2002 ASME

Dynamic Compressive Response and Failure Behavior of an Epoxy Syntactic Foam

The high-strain-rate compressive behavior of an epoxy syntactic foam is examined in this study. A pulse-shaped split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB), modified for low-impedance material testing, was used to ensure that the samples deformed under dynamic equilibrium and at a nearly constant strain-rate. Dynamic stress equilibrium in the specimen was monitored for each experiment using piezoelectric force transducers mounted close to the specimen end-faces. Quasi-static experiments were also conducted to demonstrate rate effects of the foam, as well as to study its failure behavior. It was determined that the compressive strength of the foam increased with strain rate up to a transition strain rate of between 550 and 1030 s 1. For experiments conducted at strain rates above this transition range, strain-rate-induced damage caused the compressive strength of the foam to decrease. Based on the experimental results, a constitutive model with strain-rate and damage effects was developed, which described the test data well.

High-strain-rate compressive behavior of a rigid polyurethane foam with various densities

The dynamic compressive stress-strain behavior of a rigid polyurethane foam with four values of density (78, 154, 299, and 445 kg/m3) has been determined in the strain-rate range of 1000–5000 s−1. A pulse shaping technique was used with a split Hopkinson pressure bar to ensure homogeneous deformation in the foam specimens under dynamic compression. Dynamic stress equilibrium in the specimen was monitored during each experiment using piezoelectric force transducers mounted close to the specimen end-faces. Quasi-static experiments were also performed to demonstrate rate effects. Experimental results show that both the quasistatic and the dynamic stress-strain curves of the foam exhibit linear elasticity at small strains until a peak is reached. After the peak, the stress-strain curves have a plateau region followed by a densification region. The peak stress is strain-rate sensitive and depends on the square of the foam density.