Quasi-Static and Dynamic Testing of Composite Materials

This project involved two distinct efforts for evaluating the mechanical response of materials under different loading conditions: 1) development of a quasi-static testing setup and 2) modification of existing Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) setup for dynamic testing. The first sub-effort resulted in drastic improvements in the user experience and safety through implementation of new strain measurement systems and control routines for actuation system in tensile setup. The second effort involved a critical performance analysis of the existing SHPB and execution of effective solutions to ensure accurate measurement of dynamic response of materials. Since the previous SHPB setup only allowed the testing of metals, it was adapted to facilitate dynamic testing of polymers/composites