A technique for measuring the dynamic behavior of materials at high temperatures

Abstract

Abstract A new experimental technique has been developed for the performance of high temperature, high-strain-rate experiments in the compression Kolsky bar (split-Hopkinson pressure bar or SHPB). The new technique (referred to as the High-Temperature Compression Kolsky Bar or HTCKB) uses an infra-red spot-heater to rapidly heat the specimen to the desired temperature, a!nd an electropneumatic actuation system to minimize the development of temperature gradients in the sample. The technique is cheap and relatively easy to implement and yet provides accurate, repeatable results. As an illustration of the application of the technique, we have examined the high-temperature response of the BCC metal vanadium at high-strain rates. Stress–strain curves are obtained for the material at strain rates of 4 × 10 3 s −1 and at temperatures ranging from 300 to 1100 K (27–800°C). Quasistatic (10 −3 s −1 ) experiments have also been performed on vanadium over a slightly smaller range of temperatures, and the results are compared with the new high-temperature, high-strain-rate data. It is observed that the rate of thermal softening is a function of the strain rate. These results illustrate the importance of including the coupling between temperature and strain r!ate in thermoviscoplastic constitutive models.