Static and dynamic compression strength of hot-pressed boron carbide using a dumbbell-shaped specimen

Abstract

Dumbbell-shaped specimens were machined from a tile of a commercially available boron carbide and subjected to static and dynamic compressive loads. Static experiments were performed using a screw-driven load frame, and the fracture process was recorded with a high-speed camera. Dynamic experiments were performed using a split-Hopkinson pressure bar and an ultra-high-speed camera to record the fracture process. The average static (~10−1 s−1) compressive strength of this boron carbide was determined to be 6.1 ± 0.3 GPa, and the dynamic compression strength, up to a strain rate of 300 s−1, was 6.2 ± 0.3 GPa. These strength values are twice the value reported by the manufacturer and approximately 30% higher than the values reported by others for the same boron carbide but when using a cuboidal specimen geometry.