DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF MONOLITHIC AND COMPOSITE MATERIALS BY SPLIT HOPKINSON PRESSURE BAR TESTING

ABSTRACT A Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB), an experimental apparatus for testing of solid materials at high strain rates, was in-house designed and realized by the Mechanical Engineering Dept. of WSU: it can test different types of materials and provide their dynamic mechanical properties (e.g. Young's modulus, hardening or plasticization coefficients, yield strength). This SHPB works at strain rate levels between 1000 and 3000 s-1 and impact speeds between 6 and 9 m/s. The specimen is simply a 6 mm dia. 3 mm long cylinder. The apparatus and its software were benchmarked by means of tests on Aluminum and Titanium, whose mechanical properties are well known, and later successfully applied to non-metallic materials like Nylon, Epoxy, Carbon fiber and glass fiber reinforced composites