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

The mechanical properties of polymers are becoming increasingly important as they are used in structural applications, both on their own and as matrix materials for composites. It has long been known that these mechanical properties are dependent on strain rate, temperature, and pressure. In this paper, the methods for dynamic loading of polymers will be briefly reviewed. The high strain rate mechanical properties of several classes of polymers, i.e. glassy and rubbery amorphous polymers and semi-crystalline polymers will be reviewed. Additionally, time–temperature superposition for rate dependent large strain properties and pressure dependence in polymers will be discussed. Constitutive modeling and shock properties of polymers will not be discussed in this review.

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High Strain Rate Mechanics of Polymers: A Review

Oscillation elimination in the Hopkinson bar apparatus and resultant complete dynamic stress-strain curves for rocks

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.

Dynamic stress equilibration in split Hopkinson pressure bar tests on 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 Compression Testing of Soft Materials

The split Hopkinson bar is a reliable experimental technique for measuring high strain rate properties of high-strength materials. Attempts to apply the split Hopkinson bar in measurement on more compliant materials, such as plastics, rubbers and foams, suffer from limitations on the maximum achievable strain and from high noise-to-signal ratios. The present work introduces and all-polymeric split Hopkinson bar (APSHB) experiment, which overcomes these limitations. The proposed method uses polymeric pressure bars to achieve a closer impedance match between the pressure bars and the specimen materials, thus providing both a low noise-to-signal ratio data and a longer input pulse for higher maximum strain. The APSHB requires very careful data reduction procedures because of the viscoelastic behavior of the incident and transmitter pressure bars. High-quality stress-strain data for a variety of compliant materials, such as polycarbonate, polyurethane foam and styrofoam, are presented.

Dynamic characterization of compliant materials using an all-polymeric split Hopkinson bar

The Conventional Split Hopkinson Bar (CSHB) is a reliable experimental technique for measuring high strain rate properties of high-strength materials. Attempts to use the CSHB for similar measurements in more compliant materials, such as plastics and foams, are limited by the maximum achievable strain and high noise-to-signal ratios. This work introduces an all-polymeric split Hopkinson bar (APSHB) experiment, which overcomes these limitations. The proposed method uses polymeric pressure bars to achieve a closer impedance match between the pressure bars and the specimen materials, thus providing both low noise-to-signal ratio data and a longer input pulse for higher maximum strain. Data reduction procedures for APSHB that account for the viscoelastic behavior of the pressure bars are presented. Comparing the high strain rate response of 1100 Al obtained from CSHB and APSHB validates these procedures. Stress-strain data at strain rates of 500–2000/s for polycarbonate, polyurethane foam, and styrofoam are presented.

O. Sawas

Papers

Dynamic characterization of compliant materials using an all-polymeric split Hopkinson bar

High strain rate characterization of low-density low-strength materials