High Velocity Impact Testing with Instrumented Target Support – Pre-Test Simulations

A well known test set-up for high strain rate testing of materials is the split Hopkinson bar technique. In this test method the loading and evaluation is based on longitudinal wave propagation in solid bars which hit on the material sample. This phenomenon of one-dimensional stress wave propagation in the Hopkinson bar is used in a new high velocity impact test equipment. The new gas gun at DLR is equipped with an instrumented target support. The target itself is mounted on the support. An impact on the target leads to elongation of the Hopkinson bars which is measured by strain gauges. The paper discusses possibilities and limitations of the device used for impact testing. It takes a first look the model and pre-test simulations