Numerical Investigation of the Effects of Pulse Shaper, Lateral Inertia, and Friction on the Calculated Strain-Rate Sensitivity of UHP-FRC Using a Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar

Abstract

AbstractThis research investigates the effect of pulse shaper, lateral inertia and friction on the strain-rate sensitivity of ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHP-FRC) using a split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) by finite-element analysis. Assigned material parameters of UHP-FRC are provided by calibrating concrete material characteristics given in commercially available software. Following the material model calibration, a parametric study on the design of pulse shaper is carried out to satisfy the requirements of SHPB testing. Material confinement effects, including inertia effect and friction effect, are isolated from the strain-rate sensitivity of UHP-FRC under compressive impact loading. Numerical simulation results show that (1) the calibrated KCC model can well-predict the experimentally behavior of UHP-FRC; (2) an aluminum 6061-T6 disc with 1.8-mm thickness and 8-mm diameter is an ideal pulse shaper for SHPB testing of UHP-FRC at 20 m/s impact velocity; (3) at an impact velocity ...