Strain rate effects on fragment morphology of ceramic alumina: A synchrotron-based study

Abstract

Dynamic (600–1000 s−1) and quasi-static (0.001–0.01 s−1) compression experiments are conducted on a high-purity alumina ceramic using a split Hopkinson pressure bar and a material test system, respectively. The postmortem fragments of ceramic samples at different strain rates are then characterized via synchrotron micro computed tomography (CT). The three-dimensional (3D) morphologies of fragments are quantified using the gyration tensor analysis after proper segmentation of CT images. The mean fragment size decreases in a power-law form while the mean shape indices (sphericity, elongation index and flatness index) increase in a logarithmic-linear form, with increasing strain rates. In addition, the fragment size and shape distributions are all found to follow the Weibull probability distribution. To reveal the underlying mechanisms of such strain rate effects, high-speed optical and X-ray imaging are implemented to capture the fracture process of ceramic samples under quasi-static and dynamic compression. Primary and secondary wing cracks (PWCs/SWCs) control the fracture and fragmentation of the ceramic under both loading conditions. Compared to quasi-static loading, a considerably larger number of SWCs are produced under dynamic loading, and pronounced branching and bridging occur among the PWCs, which prevent the PWCs from coalescing into axial splitting cracks. Consequently, crack networks composed of high-density wing cracks break the sample into finer and more isotropic fragments, consistent with CT characterizations. Scanning electron microscopy is utilized to analyze the micro damage modes of ceramic samples. Transgranular fracture dominates the grain-scale damage and contributes to the higher dynamic fracture resistance of the alumina under dynamic loading, as a result of more homogeneous nucleation and growth of micro cracks.