Modeling and Design of SHPB to Characterize Brittle Materials Under Compression for High Strain Rates

A Review of Dynamic Mechanical Behavior and the Constitutive Models of Aluminum Matrix Composites

Aluminum matrix composites (AMMCs) have demonstrated substantial potential in the realm of armor protection due to their favorable properties, including low density, high specific stiffness, and high specific strength. These composites are widely employed as structural components and frequently encounter high strain rate loading conditions, including explosions and penetrations during service. And it is crucial to note that under dynamic conditions, these composites exhibit distinct mechanical properties and failure mechanisms compared to static conditions. Therefore, a thorough investigation into the dynamic mechanical behavior of aluminum matrix composites and precise constitutive equations are imperative to advance their application in armor protection. This review aims to explore the mechanical properties, strengthening the mechanism and deformation damage mechanism of AMMCs under high strain rate. To facilitate a comprehensive understanding, various constitutive equations are explored, including phenomenological constitutive equations, those with physical significance, and those based on artificial neural networks. This article provides a critical review of the reported work in this field, aiming to analyze the main challenges and future development directions of aluminum matrix composites in the field of protection.

The Dynamic Mechanical Properties and Damage Constitutive Model of Ultra-High-Performance Steel-Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (UHPSFRC) at High Strain Rates

A high strain rate occurs when the strain rate exceeds 100 s-1. The mechanical behavior of materials at a high strain rate is different from that at middle and low strain rates. In order to study the dynamic compressive mechanical properties of ultra-high-performance steel-fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPSFRC) at high strain rates, an electro-hydraulic servo universal testing machine and a separate Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) with a diameter of 120 mm were used, respectively. A quasi-static compression test (strain rate 0.001 s-1) and impact compression test with a strain rate range of 90~200 s-1 were carried out to study the failure process, failure mode, and stress-strain curve characteristics of UHPSFRC at different strain rates and quantify the strain rate strengthening effect and fiber toughening effect. Based on the statistical damage theory and energy conversion principle, a dynamic damage constitutive model considering the effects of strain rate and fiber content was constructed. The results showed that the rate correlation of UHPSFRC and the fiber toughening properties showed a certain coupling competition mechanism. When the fiber content was less than 1.5%, with an increase in the steel fiber content, the crack initiation and propagation time of the specimen was extended, and the strain rate sensitivity gradually decreased. When the fiber content was 2%, the impact compressive strength of the specimen was optimal. Compared with UHPC, the dynamic increase factor (DIF) of UHPSFRC was significantly lower. The dynamic damage constitutive model established in this paper, considering the influence of strain rate and fiber content, has a good applicability and can describe the mechanical behavior of UHPSFRC at a high strain rate.

The Mechanism of Deformation Compatibility of TA2/Q345 Laminated Metal in Dynamic Testing with Split-Hopkinson Pressure Bar

The laminated metal materials are widely used in military, automobile and aerospace industries, but their dynamic response mechanical behavior needs to be further clarified, especially for materials with joint interface paralleling to the loading direction. The mechanical properties of TA2/Q345 (Titanium/Steel) laminated metal of this structure were studied by using the split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB). To shed light on the stress-state of a laminated metal with parallel structure, the relative non-uniformity of internal stress R(t) was analyzed. The mechanism of deformation compatibility of welding interface was discussed in detail. The current experiments demonstrate that in the strain rate range of 931-2250 s-1, the discrepancies of the internal stress in specimens are less than 5%, so the stress-state equilibrium hypothesis is satisfied during the effective loading time. Therefore, it is reasonable to believe that all stress-strain responses of the material are valid and reliable. Furthermore, the four deformation stages, i.e., the elastic stage, the plastic modulus compatible deformation stage, uniform plastic deformation stage and non-uniform plastic deformation stage, of the laminated metal with parallel structure were firstly proposed under the modulating action of the welding interface. The deformation stages are helpful for better utilization of laminated materials.

Quantitative Study of the Weakening Effect of Drilling on the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Coal-Rock Materials

Coal seam drilling is a simple, economical, and effective measure commonly used to prevent and control rock burst. Following rock burst, coal exhibits significant dynamic characteristics under high strain-rate loading. Our purpose was to determine the physical processes associated with impact damage to drilled coal rock, and its mitigation mechanism. An impact test was carried out on prefabricated borehole coal specimens, and the impulse signals of the incident and transmission rods were monitored. The crack initiation, expansion, and penetration of coal specimens were video-recorded to determine the mechanical properties, crack expansion, damage modes, fragmentation, and energy dissipation characteristics of coal specimens containing different boreholes. The dynamic compressive strength of the coal specimens was significantly weakened by boreholes under high strain-rate loading; the dynamic compressive strength and the dynamic modulus of elasticity of coal rock showed a decreasing trend, with increasing numbers of boreholes and a rising and decreasing trend with increasing borehole spacing; the number and spacing of boreholes appeared to be design parameters that could weaken coal-rock material under high strain-rate loading; during the loading of coal and rock, initial cracks appeared and expanded in the tensile stress zone of the borehole side, while secondary cracks, which appeared perpendicular to the main crack, expanded and connected, destroying the specimen. As the number of boreholes increased, the fractal dimension (D) and transmission energy decreased, while the reflection energy increased. As the borehole spacing was increased, D decreased while the reflective energy ratio decreased and increased, and the transmissive energy ratio increased and decreased. Drilling under high strain modifies the mechanical properties of impact damaged coal rock.

Research on Dynamic Strength and Inertia Effect of Concrete Materials Based on Large-Diameter Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar Test

The Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) test device is an important tool to study the dynamic characteristics of concrete materials. Inertial effect is one of the main factors that cause inaccurate results in SHPB tests of concrete materials. To solve this problem, Large-diameter SHPB tests on concrete and mortar were performed. A dynamic increase factor (DIF) model considering strain rate effect and inertia effect was established. This model provides a scientific reference for studying the dynamic mechanical properties of concrete materials. The experimental results indicate that the strain rate effect of concrete is more sensitive than that of mortar, but the inertia effect of mortar is more sensitive than that of concrete. Under the same strain rate, the energy utilization rate, average fragment size, and impact potentiality of mortar are higher than concrete.

Dynamic Response of Rock-like Materials Based on SHPB Pulse Waveform Characteristics

Rock-like brittle materials under dynamic load will show more complex dynamic mechanical properties than those under static load. The relationship between pulse waveform characteristics and strain rate effect and inertia effect is rarely discussed in the split-Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) numerical simulation research. In response to this problem, this paper discusses the effects of different pulse types and pulse waveforms on the incident waveform and dynamic response characteristics of specimens based on particle flow code (PFC). The research identifies a critical interval of rock dynamic strength, where the dynamic strength of the specimen is independent of the strain rate but increases with the amplitude of the incident stress wave. When the critical interval is exceeded, the dynamic strength is determined by the strain rate and strain rate gradient. The strain rate of the specimen is only related to the slope of the incident stress wave and is independent of its amplitude. It is also determined that the inertia effect cannot be eliminated in the SHPB. The slope of the velocity pulse waveform determines the strain rate of the specimen, the slope of the force pulse waveform determines the strain rate gradient of the specimen, and the upper bottom time determines the strain rate of the specimen. It provides a reference for SHPB numerical simulation. A dynamic strength prediction model of rock-like materials is then proposed, which considers the effects of strain rate and strain rate gradient.

High Strain Rate Yielding of Additive Manufacturing Inconel 625 by Selective Laser Melting

Nickel-based alloy Inconel 625, produced by the selective laser melting method, was studied experimentally for its mechanical performance under strain rate loading using Hopkinson bars. Both compression and tensile tests were carried out, with the former also being conducted at 500 °C. The strain rate was in the range of 300 to 3500 s⁻¹ at ambient temperature, and 1200 to 3500 s⁻¹ at the elevated temperature, respectively, for compression tests, and 900 to 2400 s⁻¹ for tensile tests. Results show that the alloy has a strong rate sensitivity with the dynamic yield stress at 3500 s⁻¹, almost doubling the quasistatic value. The test results also show that, even though the temperature elevation leads to material softening, the strain rate effect is still evidential with the dynamic compressive yield stress at the rate 10³ s⁻¹ and 500 °C still being higher than the quasistatic one at ambient temperature. It is also observed that dynamic tensile strengths are generally higher than those of compressive ones at room temperature.

Numerical and Theoretical Analysis of the Inertia Effects and Interfacial Friction in SHPB Test Systems

The dynamic properties of materials should be analyzed for the material selection and safety design of robots used in the army and other protective structural applications. Split Hopkinson pressure bars (SHPB) is a widely used system for measuring the dynamic behavior of materials between 10² and 10⁴ s⁻¹ strain rates. In order to obtain accurate dynamic parameters of materials, the influences of friction and inertia should be considered in the SHPB tests. In this study, the effects of the friction conditions, specimen shape, and specimen configuration on the SHPB results are numerically investigated for rate-independent material, rate-dependent elastic-plastic material, and rate-dependent visco-elastic material. High-strength steel DP500 and polymethylmethacrylate are the representative materials for the latter two materials. The rate-independent material used the same elastic modulus and hardening modulus as the rate-dependent visco-elastic material but without strain rate effects for comparison. The impact velocities were 3 and 10 m/s. The results show that friction and inertia can produce a significant increase in the flow stress, and their effects are affected by impact velocities. Rate-dependent visco-elasticity material specimen is the most sensitive material to friction and inertia effects among these three materials (rate-independent material, rate-dependent elastic-plastic material, and rate-dependent visco-elastic material). A theoretical analysis based on the conservation of energy is conducted to quantitatively analyze the relationship between the stress measured in the specimen and friction as well as inertia effects. Furthermore, the methods to reduce the influence of friction and inertia effects on the experimental results are further analyzed.