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Experimental Techniques For Shear Testing of Thin Sheet Metals and Compression Testing at Intermediate Strain Rates
Experimental Techniques For Shear Testing of Thin Sheet Metals and Compression Testing at Intermediate Strain Rates
Experimental Techniques For Shear Testing of Thin Sheet Metals and Compression Testing at Intermediate Strain Rates
THESIS
By
2013
2013
Abstract
A new specimen geometry for the characterization of thin sheet metals in simple
experimental data that populate material models for numerical simulations. The
new simple shear specimen, based on ASTM B831, can be tested in both quasi-
static and dynamic conditions using a servo-hydraulic load frame and tension Kolsky
bar, respectively. Specimens are fabricated from a 0.5in Al2024-T351 plate with
their gage sections orientated in various directions. Tests are conducted at shear
performed through torsion tests on thin walled tube specimens, which are impossible
to fabricate from thin sheet metals. The proposed specimen geometry is evaluated
by comparing data obtained using the new specimen to existing torsion data. Three-
on the surface of specimen gage sections for all tests. Stress versus strain curves
obtained from tests using both specimen geometries agree, indicating that the new
specimen geometry is suitable for use in characterizing thin sheet metals in shear.
Additionally, the new specimen geometry is able to capture anisotropic effects which
are averaged in torsion data on thin walled tube specimens. A parallel LS-DYNA
simulation is conducted to investigate the strain state within the gage section during
ii
a test and compare to experimental data measured with DIC. Results show that a
nearly uniform state of shear strain exists until large strains are developed.
rate apparatus consists of a linear hydraulic actuator to generate the loading and a
long transmitter bar. The specimen is placed on the end of the transmitter bar and
loaded directly by the actuator. When the specimen is loaded, a compression wave
propagates down the transmitter bar and reflects back towards the specimen when it
reaches the end of the bar. A long transmitter bar allows the test to continue until the
reflected wave reaches the specimen. Ample time (16ms) is provided to accumulate
significant strain at intermediate strain rates without inertial effects (ringing) that are
common to other intermediate strain rate testing techniques. Two materials, Al2024-
T351 and Cu-101 are tested. Previous data shows Al2024 does not exhibit strain
rate sensitivity below 5000s−1 while Cu-101 does. Specimens from both materials are
tested in compression at strain rates ranging from 0.01s−1 to 5000s−1 using a load
frame, the proposed intermediate strain rate apparatus, and a compression Kolsky
bar. DIC is used to measure deformation on the surface of the specimen for all tests.
Experimental data shows the intermediate strain rate apparatus is able to capture the
expected data trends and is not subjected to the ringing observed by other common
iii
This document is dedicated to my family and close friends.
iv
Acknowledgments
There have been many people who have helped me reach this point in my life and
I would like to acknowledge them for all of their help and support. First and foremost
I would like to thank my parents Kevin and Anayanci Gardner. Their constant love
My advisor, Professor Amos Gilat, has made my graduate experience all that it is.
He is both inspiring and supportive and it is a great honor to work with such a highly
Jeremy Seidt as well. Jeremy has become a good friend and an esteemed colleague,
constantly offering insight and guidance making him invalueable as a second advisor.
I would also like to thank Professor Mark Walter for taking the time to serve as my
I would like to thank Jerry Hoff, Larry Antal, and Ryan Shea of the Chemistry
Dept’s machine shop. They fabricated all of the specimens and fixtures used in this
research.
This research was funded by the Federal Aviation Administration. Thanks to Don
Altobelli, Bill Emmerling, and Chip Queitzsch from the FAA for all of the support
given and the strong relationship they have developed with our research group. The
construction of the intermediate strain rate apparatus was supported by NASA (NRA
Grant NNX08AB50A).
v
Thanks also to Steven Whitaker, Jarrod Smith, Tim Liutkus, Jeremiah Hammer,
Tom Matrka, and Bob Lowe. These students and researchers in the Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering Department at The Ohio State University have been integral
in my efforts through technical discussions and more importantly, the friendships they
have provided.
vi
Vita
Gardner, K.A., Seidt, J.D., Isakov, M., Gilat, A., “Characterization of Sheet Metals
in Shear over a Wide Range of Strain Rates”, Proceedings of the 2013 SEM Annual
Conference and Exposition on Experimental and Applied Mechanics, Lombard, IL,
June, 2013
Fields of Study
vii
Table of Contents
Page
Abstract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii
Dedication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Vita . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
List of Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
viii
3.2 Quasi-Static Testing Technique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
3.3 High Strain Rate Testing Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
3.3.1 High Strain Rate Tension Apparatus . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
3.3.2 High Strain Rate Torsion Apparatus . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
3.4 Digital Image Correlation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
3.5 Existing Experimental Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
3.6 Strain Rate Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
3.7 Anisotropic Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
3.8 Results from Numerical Simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Appendices 90
ix
B. Experimental Results from the Test Series Evaluating the Intermediate
Strain Rate Apparatus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
x
List of Tables
Table Page
xi
List of Figures
Figure Page
2.1 Ti-6Al-4V shear stress vs. shear strain data from torsion tests on spool
shaped specimens at various strain rates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.4 Guo, et al.’s experimental data for Ti-6Al-4V determined from the
double notch specimen, before and after calibration . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.6 DIC data Measured on the surface of the eccentric notch specimen . . 11
2.7 Simulated and experimental data using the eccentric notch specimen . 12
2.9 Equivalent plastic strain from the twin bridge shear specimen . . . . 14
xii
2.13 Shear specimen deformation (a)without thickness reduction, (b)with
thickness reduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2.14 Experimental data from uniaxial tension tests and simple shear tests 18
3.3 Thin walled tube (spool) specimen used in torsion testing (dimensions
in inches) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
3.4 Instron 1321 bi-axial servo-hydraulic load frame (hydraulic wedge grips
shown) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
3.7 Direct tension (left) and torsion (right) Kolsky bars in the DMML . . 30
3.9 Simple shear specimen glued to the direct tension Kolsky bar . . . . . 32
3.10 Comparison of the various methods for determining shear strain with
the simple shear geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
3.11 Typical wave data from a tension Kolsky bar experiment on the simple
shear specimen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
3.12 Processed wave data from a typical tension Kolsky bar experiment on
the simple shear specimen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
xiii
3.15 Typical wave data from a torsion Kolsky bar experiment . . . . . . . 42
3.16 Processed wave data from a typical torsion Kolsky bar experiment . . 43
3.17 DIC data from a compression test with Vic-3D (a)2D image of speckled
specimen and platens, (b)3D reconstruction of specimen and platens . 45
3.18 Strain measurement comparison between DIC and the load frame mea-
surement for tests on Ti-6Al-4V . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
3.22 Simple shear data for Al2024-T351 in the rolled direction at various
shear strain rates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
3.23 Simple shear data from different specimen orientations at a shear strain
rate of 0.01s−1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
3.26 Shear strain distribution measured with DIC during a simple shear test 56
3.28 Vertical strain (ǫyy ) distribution measured with DIC during a simple
shear test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
3.30 Average shear strain and vertical strain (ǫyy ) measured with DIC dur-
ing a quasi-static simple shear test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
xiv
4.2 Experimental data from an incremental test at 340s−1 . . . . . . . . . 61
4.4 Experimental record from a test on PMDI foam using a long Kolsky bar 65
5.6 Load cell glued to transmitter bar of the intermediate strain rate ap-
paratus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
5.7 Force history from a typical test on Cu-101 with the intermediate strain
rate apparatus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
5.8 Processed data from a typical intermediate strain rate test on Cu-101,
average strain rate 70s−1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
5.11 Typical wave data from a compression Kolsky bar experiment on Al2024-
T351 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
5.12 Processed wave data from a typical compression Kolsky bar experiment
on Al2024-T351 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
xv
5.14 Comparison of Al204-T351 data between load frame and intermediate
strain rate apparatus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
5.15 True stress versus true strain for Cu-101 over a range of strain rates . 86
A.9 Shear test data spread: 45◦ from rolled direction, γ̇ = 0.01s−1 . . . . 99
A.10 Shear test data spread: 45◦ from rolled direction, γ̇ = 2000s−1 . . . . 100
A.11 Shear test data spread: 45◦ from rolled direction, γ̇ = 4500s−1 . . . . 101
A.12 Shear test data spread: 45◦ from rolled direction, γ̇ = 9000s−1 . . . . 102
B.1 Compression test data spread: Al2024-T351, rolled direction, ǫ̇ = 0.01s−1 105
B.2 Compression test data spread: Al2024-T351, rolled direction, ǫ̇ = 1.0s−1 106
B.3 Compression test data spread: Al2024-T351, rolled direction, ǫ̇ = 100s−1 107
xvi
B.6 Compression test data spread: Cu-101, ǫ̇ = 1.0s−1 . . . . . . . . . . . 110
xvii
Chapter 1: Introduction
Numerical methods, such as the finite element method, have had an ever increasing
presence in the engineering design process. Finite element analyses have become a cost
efficient method to analyze and optimize complex components during the engineering
design process, even before the fabrication of an initial prototype. Despite the fact
that a majority of these analyses are concerned with only the elastic response of the
models that capture a material’s plastic response. One example of this need can
be given by automotive crashes. Engineers now have the ability to run numerical
simulations of crash events and identify components that are likely to fail, potentially
causing injury to the passengers, as well as improving the crash characteristics of the
complete vehicle.
through the linear relationship between stress and strain within this regime and the
material properties, such as Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio, are easily available.
When compared to the plastic behavior, the linear elastic response is typically less
influenced by the strain rate, temperature, and anisotropy of the material. Before
yielding, the material’s molecular bonds stretch and no permanent damage results
since they can spring back into their original configurations. However, after yielding,
1
the material no longer behaves linearly and more complex material models are needed
to describe the material behavior that arises from the tearing and reconfiguration of
the molecular bonds, which results in permanent damage [1]. Plastic deformation
is significantly more complex and is known to depend more heavily on the strain
rate, temperature, material anisotropy, residual stresses, and other factors such as
While it has become increasingly clear that numerical methods, such as the com-
mercially available numerical codes LS-DYNA [3] and ABAQUS [4], have the ability
dependent upon the validity of the material models used. Components are subjected
to very complex stress states and in order to have confidence in the simulation re-
sults, the material models used to describe the deformation and failure behavior of
the various components must be based on and calibrated with experimental data.
Many products, such as automobiles and aircraft are comprised largely of thin sheet
metal, therefore it is important to determine the shear response of the materials used,
since it has been shown that the effective stress vs equivalent plastic strain curves
generated from tension and shear tests do not always coincide [5, 6]. Similarly, ma-
terial failure is known to depend on the stress state [7, 8, 9], therefore it is necessary
tests on thin walled tube samples. The samples used in a torsion test are spool shaped
with a thin walled tube gage section in the middle and flanges on either side that are
used to attach the specimen to the test apparatus. While this sample geometry is
easily fabricated from round stock or thicker plates, it is impossible to fabricate this
2
geometry from thin sheet metals, dictating the need for a new sample geometry to
dependent upon the applied strain rate. Hammer [10] performed tests on Ti-6Al-4V
plate stock in tension, compression, and shear (with torsion tests) over a range of
strain rates and has shown that Ti-6Al-4V exhibits an increase in yield stress as well
as flow stress in conjuction with an increase in strain rate. Cheng [11] and Vural,
et al. [12] have independently shown that AISI 1018 cold-rolled steel exhibits strain
hardening in a shear loading through strain rates up to 5000s−1 , after which strain
softening is observed. This illustrates the need for experimental data over the full
increasing need for reliable material data at intermediate strain rates in the range of
101 s−1 to 103 s−1 [13]. Traditionally, tests at high strain rates from 103 s−1 to 104 s−1 are
performed using the Kolsky bar technique [14] and servo-hyraulic load frames are used
for quasi-static tests in the range of 10−5s−1 to 1s−1 . Tests at intermediate strain rates
are difficult to perform because the strain rates are too low to accumulate significant
amounts of strain in the specimen within the test duration when using the Kolsky bar
technique. Similarly, the strain rates are too high to be performed using hydraulic
machines because inertia effects influence the data. There is a need to develop an
strain rates. Naturally, this technique must be immune from the shortcomings of
3
1.1 Motivation and Objectives for the Research
reliable techniques to determine the shear characteristics of thin sheet metals and to
test engineering materials at intermediate strain rates from 101 s−1 to 103 s−1 . This
First, to develop a testing technique that can be used to reliably determine the
shear characteristics of thin sheet metals. There have been many sample geometries
combined stress states and not pure shear. Pure shear tests can be conducted by
applying torque to thin walled tube specimens. Despite the fact that the thin walled
tube specimen is in pure shear, one major drawback to this sample geometry is that it
is impossible to fabricate from thin plate stock. Additionally, all anisotropic effects are
averaged on the plane of the gage section so there is no ability to study variances from
for thin sheet metals do allow anisotropic effects to be studied. Thus, the goal of this
work is to introduce a simple sample geometry for thin sheet metals that produces a
rates in compression. Many methodologies have been introduced to fill the gap be-
tween the Kolsky bar technique and the use of servo-hydraulic load frames, illustrated
by Figure 1.1, however many of these techniques yield unsatisfactory results, are te-
dious and time consuming, or require arduous calculations. Thus, another goal of
4
compression within the intermediate strain rate regime while producing data that is
5
Chapter 2: Shear Testing of Thin Sheet Metals
sheet metals in shear. Several of the proposed sample geometries are discussed in
the following sections. Most of the proposed samples are loaded in tension so that
testing can be performed easily with common test apparatuses such as load frames
and tension Kolsky bars. The goal is to produce a state of pure shear, however,
to load the specimen without a bending component [15]. Therefore, the accuracy
of the experimental data obtained from a certain specimen design depends on the
uniformity of the shear deformation in the intended shear zone. Ideally, the specimen
design should provide experimental data that is comparable to that obtained through
torsion tests on spool shaped specimens. Typical data from a torsion test series using
spool shaped geometry is shown in Figure 2.1 [10]. Hammer [10] performed these
tests on Ti-6Al-4V.
6
Figure 2.1: Ti-6Al-4V shear stress vs. shear strain data from torsion tests on spool
shaped specimens at various strain rates
Guo, et al. [16] introduced a dynamic shear test technique and used it to evaluate
the shear properties of Ti-6Al-4V. Tests were performed using a modified Kolsky
compression bar that had a clamping assembly attached as illustrated by Figure 2.2
[16]. The clamp was used to constrain the double notch specimen, shown in Figure
2.3 [16]. Finite element simulations were performed on the test fixture to optimize the
design of the clamping assembly as well as the design of the double notch specimen.
The clamping assembly is needed in order to improve the shear strain distribution
in the sample. Without the clamp, large errors arise from the bending moment that
is introduced between the loading site and the specimen support sites. However, the
clampling assembly renders the transmitted wave data unusable because of the elastic
wave reflections that are caused by its large size and complex geometry. Because
of this, the loading condition of the sample was determined from the incident and
7
Figure 2.2: Guo, et al.’s FE model of the SHB clamp assembly
8
This technique was used to conduct tests on Ti-6Al-4V at shear strain rates of
up to 29000s−1 . The experimental data, shown in Figure 2.4 [16], requires a coupled
Figure 2.4 [16] shows the influence of this numerical calibration procedure. The
calibration consists of two parameters, a shear stress calibration coefficient and a shear
strain calibration coefficient that were determined through finite element simulations
and then used to modify the experimental data. The calibration coefficients address
the issue of non-uniform strain in the gage sections and the presence of deformation
Figure 2.4: Guo, et al.’s experimental data for Ti-6Al-4V determined from the double
notch specimen, before and after calibration
9
2.1.2 Eccentric Notch Shear Specimen
Peirs, et al. [17] introduced the sample geometry shown in Figure 2.5 [17]. The
specimen was designed for shear testing of sheet metals over a wide range of strain
rates. The sample is meant to be tested using existing tension testing apparatuses
with little to no modification. For dynamic testing the sample is glued into slits on
a tensile Kolsky bar. The eccentric notches in the sample are a result of numerical
studies performed with the goal of optimizing the strain state in the intended gage
section of the sample. The optimal notches result in a nearly uniform state of shear
Figure 2.5: Peirs, et al.’s eccentric notch shear sample (dimensions in mm)
Static and dynamic shear tests were performed on a 0.6mm Ti-6Al-4V sheet using
this specimen geometry. Samples were machined in two different orientations, one set
with the axis of the sample aligned with the roll direction (RD), and another in the
transverse direction (TD). Quasi-static tests were performed at a shear strain rate
of 0.005s−1 and dynamic tests were performed at a rate of 750s−1 . Digital Image
Correlation, see Section 3.4, was used to measure the strains directly on the surface
10
of the specimens during the tests. Figure 2.6 [17] shows the typical contour plot of
ǫ12 during a test indicating that much of the deformation is limited to within the
intended gage section and a nearly uniform state of shear strain has been achieved
Figure 2.6: DIC data Measured on the surface of the eccentric notch specimen
The sample geometry proposed by Peirs, et al. [17] generates a nearly uniform
state of stress and limits much of the deformation to within the intended gage section.
Figure 2.7 [17], which shows simulated and experimental data for shear stress and
shear strain vs displacement, exhibits oscillations in the stress data that occurs with
the dynamic tests. It is unknown whether this can be attributed to elastic wave
reflections from the specimen geometry or if it is simply an effect of the test apparatus
11
Figure 2.7: Simulated and experimental data using the eccentric notch specimen
Brosius, et al. [18] introduced a specimen geometry called the twin bridge shear
specimen. This geometry consists of two concentric circular disks that are connected
by shear bridges, which serve as the gage sections. This geometry is shown in Figure
2.8 [18]. The specimen is loaded by rotating the two clamped regions, denoted by
hatching, relative to each other thus transferring a plane torsional moment through
the specimen. The geometry of the specimen causes strain localization at the two
shear bridges. The shear bridges are arranged symmetrically in order to avoid any
unintended resultant forces or moments. Any number of shear bridges can be used in
the specimen design, however the use of only two allows anisotropic material behavior
to be investigated without any averaging effects. Rotating the clamps relative to each
12
Figure 2.8: Brosius, et al.’s twin bridge shear specimen
This specimen geometry was evaluated in a purely numerical study. Figure 2.9
[18] shows the distribution of equivalent plastic strain in one of the shear bridge gage
sections. As illustrated, the deformation is not limited to within the gage section. A
considerable amount of deformation occurs outside the gage section. Also, the strain
distribution is not uniform due to the stress concentrations that arise where the shear
bridge joins the inner and outer rings. This sample was only evaluated numerically,
can be deduced that the sample would be difficult to use in a practical situation.
The required loading configuration could pose complications and require a modified
torsion Kolsky bar for dynamic tests and a rotational servo-hydraulic load frame even
for static tests. The geometry of the specimen would also make it difficult, although
13
Figure 2.9: Equivalent plastic strain from the twin bridge shear specimen
Rittel, et al. [19] introduced the shear-compression specimen that has been de-
veloped for large strain testing of materials. While this specimen geometry would
be difficult to fabricate from very thin sheet metals, it requires less thickness than
required to fabricate the spool shaped torsion specimens. It also provides the ability
[19], consists of a cylinder in which two diametrically opposed slots are machined at
45◦ with respect to the longitudinal axis, thereby creating a defined gage section. The
specimen is easily loaded along its axis by existing compressive testing apparatuses
and also allows very high shear strain rates to be obtained in the range of 47 × 104s−1
[12].
Numerical studies were performed using ABAQUS [4] to determine the state of
strain within the gage section. Results indicated that the state of strain is nearly
uniform across the entire gage section and that shear is the dominant mode of de-
formation. The results were also used to develop simple relationships that express
14
Figure 2.10: Various shear-compression samples after testing
the equivalent stress and strain in terms of the geometrical parameters of the shear-
compression specimen and the applied load and displacement. These equations were
then used to compare data extracted from the shear-compression specimen to that
Figure 2.11 [19]. The data measured with the shear-compression specimen agrees well
with data from a cylindrical sample. The initial overshoot in the shear-compression
sample is attributed to the friction at the interface of the specimen and platens, since
the cylindrical ends of the specimen must translate relative to each other during the
shear deformation as can be observed from Figure 2.10 [19]. The experimental data
shows the viability of the sample geometry and improved methods of reducing friction
15
Figure 2.11: Experimental comparison of the shear-compression specimen to a com-
pression specimen
Isakov, et al. [20] used a modified specimen geometry, based on ASTM B831
[21], to characterize ferritic stainless sheet steel in shear. ASTM B831 presents a
cast alluminum alloys. The specimen geometry, shown in Figure 2.12(a) [21], consists
of a planar specimen with a gage section created by two opposing 45◦ slots through
the specimen thickness. This sample geometry was modified for use in a tension
Kolsky bar and initial experimental data at quasi-static conditions dictated the need
for a thickness reduction of the gage section as shown in Figure 2.12(b) [20].
Digital Image Correlation was used to measure surface strains of a scaled version of
the geometry proposed in B831. The results of this test dictated the need for reducing
the thickness of the gage section. Figure 2.13 [20] shows the deformation of the shear
specimen with(b) and without(a) the thickness reduction of the gage section. The
specimen without the thickness reduction exhibits severe distortion outside of the
16
(a) (b)
Figure 2.12: Shear specimen geometries (a)ASTM B831, (b)modified sample proposed
by Isakov, et al. (dimensions in mm)
intended gage section. Failure also occurrs outside the gage section. The specimen
with the thickness reduction has a well defined gage section and DIC data from tests
confirm that the deformation was limited within the gage section.
17
Isakov used specimens with thickness reduction to characterize the stainless steel
sheet at quasi-static and high strain rates. Uniaxial tension tests were also performed
to compare to the shear data. The data, shown in Figure 2.14 [20], illustrates an
agreement between the tension and the simple shear tests. The specimen geometry
provides accurate data at a wide range of strain rates and is easily implemented since
Figure 2.14: Experimental data from uniaxial tension tests and simple shear tests
tests on spool shaped specimens with thin walled tube gage sections. It is the goal
of this work to create a specimen geometry for characterizing thin sheet metals in
shear that produces data comparable to that of torsion tests. A 0.5in Al2024-T351
plate was chosen to allow both sample geometries to be fabricated. Initially, simple
shear specimens with the geometry proposed by Isakov, see Figure 2.12(b) [20], were
18
fabricated. Tests were performed at both low and high shear strain rates. While the
data at low strain rates was satisfactory, the high strain data was unsatisfactory due
to the long duration required to achieve force equilibrium in the specimen. This was
due to the sample geometry being too long (because of the 45◦ slots). In order to
address this issue, a simpler geometry is introduced for the characterization of thin,
The specimen geometry, shown in Figure 2.15, is similar to the design previously
proposed by Isakov, et al. [20], however the gage section is constructed through cuts
that are made perpendicular to the loading direction as opposed to 45◦ cuts. This
change significantly reduces the overall exposed length of the specimen between the
grips of the test apparatus used, thus reducing the duration required to obtain force
equilibrium in the specimen during dynamic tests. This sample geometry is easily
tested using existing apparatuses for tension testing. The specimen dimensions used
Figure 2.15: Novel specimen for characterizing thin sheet metals in shear
19
Chapter 3: Simple Shear Experimental Results and
Discussion
This chapter presents the experimental procedure that was used to evaluate the
new simple shear sample. The methods used for quasi-static and dynamic testing
and the associated calculations are also presented and discussed. Several apparatuses
were used to conduct the tests discussed in this chapter. Many of the testing pro-
Laboratory (DMML).
Experimental results generated during the test series evaluating the simple shear
geometry, described in Table 3.1, are presented. Quasi-static and high strain rate
data are presented. The simple shear geometry allows the anisotropic effects of the
directions within the plate are presented. Results from a numerical simulation of the
simple shear geometry are also presented and compared with the experimental data.
The data from the simple shear geometry shows good agreement with data recorded
using conventional thin walled tube specimens. Data from different orienatations of
the simple shear geometry shows different plastic deformation and failure character-
istics. Data spread for each individual test configuration can be seen in Appendix A.
Representative curves from the test series are selected and presented here.
20
Digital Image Correlation (DIC) was used to measure full-field specimen strains
for all tests presented here. DIC, described in greater detail by Sutton, et al. [22] is
a non-contact optical method that allows full field strain to be measured directly on
the surface of a deforming specimen. DIC allows further insight into the evolution of
strain in the specimen during a test. Effects such as strain localization can be directly
observed, eliminating the need for estimation and greatly increasing the amount of
data that can be gleaned from the testing of materials. This optical measurement
shear test series with the new specimen geometry and torsion tests on thin walled tube
specimens. Specimens were cut from the same material stock: a 0.5in Al2024-T351
plate. Seidt [23] previously characterized the same exact plate in shear with torsion
tests on thin walled tube specimens over a range of strain rates while researching the
plastic deformation behavior of this plate stock. Due to the amount of previous data
available for this stock the shear tests using the thin walled tube specimens did not
need to be repeated, however a single test was performed to confirm the measurements
previously taken. The new simple shear geometry allows the anisotropic effects of the
plate to be determined which is not possible with the thin walled tube geometry since
it effectively averages all in-plane shear stresses. This plate stock is also known to
be insensitive to strain rate below 5000s−1 [24]. The simple shear test program is
21
Table 3.1: Test plan to evaluate simple shear geometry
Test Specimen Testing Specimen Shear Strain Rate
No. Geometry Apparatus Orientation (1/s)
1 Instron Load Frame 0.01
2 2000
Rolled
3 Tension Kolsky Bar 4500
4 9000
5 Instron Load Frame 0.01
6 2000
Simple Shear Transverse
7 Tension Kolsky Bar 4500
8 9000
9 Instron Load Frame 0.01
10 2000
45◦ From Rolled
11 Tension Kolsky Bar 4500
12 9000
13 Spool Torsion Kolsky Bar N/A 2000
study the anisotropic effects of the plate. Specimens are fabricated with their gage sec-
tions aligned with the rolled direction, at 45◦ to the rolled direction, and in the trans-
verse direction. Specimens with the spool shaped geometry are fabricated through
22
Figure 3.1: Specimen fabrication orientations
All tests are conducted on the specimen shown in Figure 3.2. The gage section
of the specimen is 0.220in in width, 0.040in in height, and 0.040in in thickness. The
specimen is 0.080in thick and 0.020in slots are milled from either side to create a well
defined gage section with half the thickness of the surrounding material. The height
of the gage section was chosen to achieve high strain rates and allow enough area
to reliably measure strains in the notch with DIC. DIC was used to measure shear
strains directly on the gage section of the specimen during tests. Shear specimens
23
Figure 3.2: Simple shear specimen used in plastic deformation testing (dimensions in
inches)
Torsion tests are conducted on specimens with thin walled tube (spool) geometry.
The shear strain rate of this specimen geometry can also be adjusted by varying the
length of the gage section. All torsion tests were conducted on specimens with the
geometry shown in Figure 3.3. The length of the gage section (0.100in) was designed
to achieve a high strain rate while maintaining the ability to measure specimen strains
with DIC. The spool specimens are fabricated with convential machining techniques,
their profiles are cut from the plate and then they are turned down on a lathe.
Necessary dimensions are measured and recorded prior to testing. The thickness of
24
Figure 3.3: Thin walled tube (spool) specimen used in torsion testing (dimensions in
inches)
An Instron 1321 biaxial servo-hydraulic load frame, shown in figure 3.4 [23], is used
to conduct both the simple shear and compression test series at strain rates at or below
1s−1 . This machine has the capability to move axially ±61.2mm and rotate ±45◦ .
Therefore, this one test apparatus can be used to conduct tension tests, compression
can be taken with two different load cells, depending on the anticipated load. If the
1216CEW-2k load cell with a maximum axial capacity of 8.9kN and a maximum
torsional capacity of 110Nm can be used. For larger forces, a Lebow 6467-107 load
cell with an axial capacity of 89kN and a torsional capacity of 1100Nm is used. This
25
MTS FlexTest SE controller. Data is acquired by the controller through MTS 493.25
Digital Universal Conditioners that have a maximum data acquisition rate of 100kHz.
The axial motion of the load frame is controlled by a Linear Variable Differential
during a test, however, strains computed from these records are subject to machine
Many specimen grips can be used with the Instron 1321 load frame to test various
specimen geometries. The simple shear geometry (Figure 3.2) is loaded in the same
manner as a tension specimen. Figure 3.5 shows a simple shear specimen placed
in the Instron load frame prior to testing. These tests are performed using a pair
of MTS647.02B-22 hydraulic wedge grips (Figure 3.4) that have a maximum axial
load capacity of 31kN. These grips can accomodate several different designs of wedge
grips. Test specimens are gripped using flat knurled wedges suitable for the specimen
thicknesses used in this work (0.080in). Alignment pegs on the wedges are used to
26
Figure 3.4: Instron 1321 bi-axial servo-hydraulic load frame (hydraulic wedge grips
shown)
27
Figure 3.5: Simple shear specimen placed in load frame prior to testing
The high rate material behavior presented here was experimentally determined
using Kolsky Bar or split-Hopkinson Bar tests. This method, first proposed by Kolsky
[14], uses the propogation of elastic stress waves in two long bars to determine the
dynamic plastic deformation behavior of a specimen that is placed between the bars.
This technique has become a standard method for dynamic material testing and has
been modified to perform both tension and torsion experiments. Typically, strain
rates ranging from 500s−1 to 8000s−1 can be obtained, depending on the strength
and dimensions of the sample and the loading condtions of the apparatus. The
following section describes the tension and torsion Kolsky bars at the DMML and
28
3.3.1 High Strain Rate Tension Apparatus
The DMML utilizes a direct tension Kolsky bar to conduct high strain rate tension
tests. This apparatus was used to test simple shear specimens at high strain rates.
This apparatus is similar to the compression Kolsky bar, however there are several
key differences in the machine design and operation. The most notable difference
in the direct tension Kolsky bar is the method used to generate the loading pulse
in the incident bar. The design of the direct tension bar is different from that of
the compression bar as illustrated in Figures 3.6 [23] and 3.7 [23]. There are many
methods used to generate an incident tensile wave, however the method used by this
apparatus, described in further detail by Staab and Gilat [25], utilizes a long incident
bar that is loaded with an initial tensile preload, which is released by fracturing a
In order to load the incident bar with the initial preload the bar is clamped near
the middle with the clamping assembly shown in Figure 3.8. This clamping assembly
29
Figure 3.7: Direct tension (left) and torsion (right) Kolsky bars in the DMML
30
holds the bar against a loading block so that a tensile load can be applied from the
end of the bar. The tensile load, P , is applied to the end of the incident bar using a
pulley system with a hydraulic actuator. The initial preload, measured using a full
Wheatstone bridge that is located between the pulley and the clamping assembly,
is proportional to the desired strain rate in the sample. The top of the clamping
assembly is joined by a notched pin while the bottom of the assembly is held together
by the hydraulic actuator. As the load in the hydraulic actuator increases so does the
loading on the pin, eventually the pin is broken allowing the tensile incident wave to
propagate towards the specimen. The magnitude of the incident wave that reaches
the specimen is half of the initial preload since equal amplitude waves are generated
Figure 3.8: Clamping assembly used on the direct tension Kolsky bar
The incident and transmitter bars of the direct tension Kolsky bar are fabricated
from 12.7mm diameter 7075-T651 aluminum. The incident bar is 3.68m long and the
transmitter bar is 1.83m long. There have been many methods developed to attach the
31
specimen to the bars. Mechanical connections tend to be subject to relative motion
which causes an overestimation of the sample strain. Mechanical connections can also
waves and dynamic force imbalance. In this work, specimens are glued into adapters
which are then glued between the two bars using either Hysol Tra-Bond 2106T epoxy
Figure 3.9: Simple shear specimen glued to the direct tension Kolsky bar
It is important to avoid an impedence mismatch between the bars and the speci-
men adapters to prevent reflections of the elastic wave. The adapters used are custom
designed for each sample geometry in order to maintain a constant impedence, which
can be determined in general by equation 3.1. The interface between the adapters
and specimen has two different materials in parallel with one another. The follow-
ing relationship, equation 3.2, must be maintained so that the impedence of the
Z = ρAc (3.1)
Zb = Za + Zs = ρa Aa ca + ρs As cs = ρb Ab cb (3.2)
32
where the subscripts a, s, and b represent the adapters, specimen, and bars respec-
tively. The adapter can be designed to maintain constant impedence if the material
properties of all three components are known. In this work, the bars, adapters, and
specimen are all fabricated from aluminum, thus the adapter design is straight for-
ward and only requires designing the adapters to leave a minimal gap at the adapter-
The strains in both bars are measured using full Wheatstone bridges made from
1825mm from the specimen on the incident bar. Gage B is located 365mm from
the specimen on the incident bar and Gage C is located 365mm from the specimen
6200B power supplies. Each of the strain gage signals is conditioned by a Tektronix
ADA400A differential amplifier with a low pass filter set to 100kHz. The signals are
measured using a four channel 350MHz, 8 bit Tektronix TDS5034B digital phospor
The strain rate of a tension specimen, ǫ̇, in the direct tension Kolsky bar can be
determined by
u̇i − u̇t
ǫ̇ = (3.3)
lg
where lg is the initial gage length of the specimen. u̇i and u̇t are the incident and
and
1 lC
u̇t = FC t + (3.5)
ρAb cb cb
33
where, ρ is the density of the bars, Ab is the cross sectional area of the bars, and
cb is the elastic wave speed of the bars. lA , lB , and lC are the distances from the
specimen to the strain gages A, B, and C respectively. FA , FB , and FC are the forces
measured by their respective strain gages. The stress history of the specimen can be
determined by
FC lC
σ(t) = t+ (3.6)
As cb
where As is the cross sectional area of the specimen.
When a specimen with the introduced simple shear geometry is tested on the
direct tension Kolsky bar, the initial calculations are the same. The only difference
arises from the calculations of the shear strain and stress. For the calculations a state
of simple shear deformation is assumed and the small angle approximation is used.
u̇i − u̇t
γ̇ = (3.7)
h
where h is the height of the gage section. Once the shear strain rate history of the
specimen is known it is integrated to determine the shear strain history of the sample.
where Ashear is the cross sectional area of the gage section (width x thickness).
The use of DIC, see Section 3.4, during tests with the simple shear geometry allows
value over the gage section or can be calculated from the displacements between points
on either side of the gage section, similar to the caculation from the recorded waves.
Figure 3.10 shows the time history of shear strain during a test calculalated using
34
the three possible techniques. The shear strain from the waves is calculated using
the equations presented above. The shear strain based on DIC points was calculated
using the displacements of two points, one above and one below the gage section. For
this calculation the shear strain was calculated using the trigonometric definition of
k
γ = arctan ( ) (3.9)
h
where k is the relative horizontal displacement between the points above and below
the gage section. The shear strain from the rectangle average returns the average
Lagrange shear strain on the gage section as determined with DIC. As illustrated,
both methods involving DIC data give similar results while the strain calculated from
the elastic waves gives a much larger value. Some of this difference can be attributed
to not using the trigonometric definition of shear strain for the wave calculation since
the approximation used is only valid for small shear strains. However, it cannot be
used because shear strain rate, as opposed to shear strain, is calculated from the wave
data. While comparable results can be obtained from the rectangle average and two
point methods using DIC, the average shear strain obtained directly from the gage
section is the most accurate because it is a direct measurement on the surface of the
deforming specimen. Other methods give approximate values that are based on the
gage section deforming ideally, however, as mentioned previously the simple shear
the gage section as well. Thus, the most accurate method for calculating shear strain
A typical experimental record from the simple shear geometry is shown in Figure
3.11. The incident wave begins at approximately 60µs and increases to a value of
35
Figure 3.10: Comparison of the various methods for determining shear strain with
the simple shear geometry
36
about 10kN. The incident wave reaches gage B at approximately 356µs. The incident
wave appears to have a much shorter duration at gage B, however, this is due to
the reflected portion of the wave unloading the bar. The portion of the wave that
travels through the specimen is the transmitted wave, measured by gage C, and is
proportional to the stress in the specimen. The test ends when the transmitted wave
drops abruptly, indicating failure of the specimen. The strain rate of the sample can
be adjusted by varying the magnitude of the incident wave by adjusting the preload
or by changing the gage length, or in the case of the simple shear sample the height of
the gage section. Processed experimental data from the recorded waves can be seen
in Figure 3.12, which shows the stress, strain rate, and strain history of a specimen
from a typical test of the simple shear geometry on the direct tension Kolsky bar.
Figure 3.11: Typical wave data from a tension Kolsky bar experiment on the simple
shear specimen
37
Figure 3.12: Processed wave data from a typical tension Kolsky bar experiment on
the simple shear specimen
The DMML utilizes a stored torque Kolsky bar, shown in Figure 3.7, similar
in design to the direct tension Kolsky bar as illustrated by Figure 3.13 [23]. The
technique is similar, with the only difference being the method used to generate the
incident wave. The incident bar is clamped near the center, see Figure 3.8, and a
pre-torque is applied to the clamped section using a pulley system with a hydraulic
actuator. The incident wave is released by fracturing a pin, similar to the direct
tension Kolsky bar. This technique is described in further detail by Gilat [26]. The
incident wave amplitude is equal to half of the stored torque since the wave propagates
38
Figure 3.13: Schematic representation of the stored torque Kolsky bar
The stored torque Kolsky bar consists of two 22.23mm diameter 7075-T651 alu-
minum bars. The incident bar has an overall length of 3510mm, while the clamped
portion has a length of 1227mm. The transmitter bar is 2026mm long. Strains in the
bars are measured using full Wheatstone bridges with each being comprised of four
Figure 3.6 [23]. Gage A is located 1715mm from the specimen on the incident bar.
Similarly gage B is located 385mm from the specimen on the incident bar and gage
C is located 385mm from the specimen on the transmitter bar. 20.0V excitation is
provided to each bridge from a pair of HP3611A power supplies. The stored torque
Kolsky bar uses the same signal conditioning and recording devices as the direct
The specimen geometry (Figure 3.3) used for the stored torque Kolsky bar consists
of a thin-walled tube gage section that has flanges on either end that allow it to be
glued to the bars as shown in Figure 3.14. Specimens are glued to the bars using either
Hysol Tra-Bond 2106T epoxy or JB Kwik steel reinforced epoxy. The geometry of
39
the specimen can be changed in order to vary the strain rate, shortening the gage
length of the thin walled tube section between the flanges increases the strain rate.
However, limitations arise because a smaller gage length makes it increasingly difficult
to measure strain data on the surface of the gage section using DIC, see Section 3.4.
Additionally, there is also a stress concentration where the gage section meets the
Figure 3.14: Spool sample glued to the stored torque Kolsky bar
Data processing is similar to that of the direct tension Kolsky bar. The amplitude
T rb
γi = (3.10)
2Gb Jb
where T is the magnitude of the torque preload, rb is the radius of the bar, Gb is
the shear modulus of the bar, and Jb is the polar moment of inertia of the bar. As
the incident wave reaches the specimen, a portion of the wave passes through the
specimen, loading it and generating the transmitted wave. The remaining portion of
40
the incident wave reflects back (reflected wave) and is proportional to the shear strain
1
θ̇i (t) = [TA (t − tA ) + TA (t − tA + 2tB ) − TB (t + tB )] (3.11)
ρb Jb ct
where ρb is the density of the bar material. TA and TB are torques measured at gages
A and B respectively. tA , tB , and tC are the time required for the elastic wave to
travel the distance between the specimen and gages A, B, and C respectively. ct is
1
θ̇t (t) = [TC (t − tC )] (3.13)
ρb Jb ct
where TC is the torque measured by gage C on the transmitter bar. The shear strain
where rm is the mean gage radius of the specimen and ls is the gage length of the
specimen. Once the strain rate history is known, it can be integrated to determine
TC (t − tC )
τ (t) = (3.15)
2πrm 2 l
s
The experimental record from a typical test performed on the stored torque Kolsky
bar is presented in Figure 3.15. The incident wave reaches gage A at approximately
70µs and reaches a value of approximately 100Nm. The incident wave reaches gage B
41
at approximately 500µs having the same amplitude until the reflected wave reaches
gage B. The portion of the incident wave that travels through the specimen is the
the sample. The test is completed when the transmitted wave suddenly drops in
magnitude indicating specimen failure. Processed experimental data from the torsion
Kolsky bar is shown in Figure 3.16. The figure shows the shear stress, shear strain
rate, and shear strain histories of the spool sample. It can be observed from the shear
strain rate history that the rise time of the transverse wave is longer than those of
the axial waves measured with the compression and direct tension Kolsky bars.
Figure 3.15: Typical wave data from a torsion Kolsky bar experiment
42
Figure 3.16: Processed wave data from a typical torsion Kolsky bar experiment
full field displacements and strains directly on the surface of a specimen during a
the technique is provided by Sutton, Orteu, and Schreier [22]. Systems are available
three-dimensional systems. The three dimensional DIC system utilizes two cameras,
Several commercial systems are available, however Correlation Solutions VIC-3D 2010
43
Setup involves first arranging the cameras so that their fields of view are centered
on approximately the same spot on the surface of the sample. Depending on the
sample geometry and orientation of the cameras this may not be feasible, but it is
preferable to have the cameras aligned on at least one axis to reduce calculation
with a dotted grid of known spacing. The panel is photographed in several different
orientations providing data points for the calibration algorithm. This calibration
During a test, the cameras take two synchronized images, at a set framerate, of
the specimen that has been coated with a random speckle pattern as shown in Figure
3.17(a). The algorithm used by the software then discretizes the images into user
defined subsets of n × n pixels. Gray scale values within these subsets are used to
the current frame and the reference frame are calculated. Once these displacements
are known the software can calculate the strains on the surface of the specimen
utilizing one of the strain tensor definitons available. Since a stereo camera array is
used, the three dimensional DIC system is also able to generate a 3D representaion
The software contains many available options for post-processing the data. Data
can be extracted at a single point, over an area and averaged, or through virtual
extensometers. Point data is useful for tracking the strain history at localization
points and failure locations. Average data within a box is useful for evaluating the
general strain state of a specimen. Virtual extensometers are also extremely useful
44
(a) (b)
Figure 3.17: DIC data from a compression test with Vic-3D (a)2D image of speckled
specimen and platens, (b)3D reconstruction of specimen and platens
in that they can be used to compare DIC data to data acquired with conventional
mechanical extensometers.
The DMML has several camera setups available with a wide range of possible
framerates for low rate and dynamic testing. Typically, for strain rates less than
1.0 × 10−2 s−1 , a pair of Point Grey Research GRAS-20S4M-C cameras are used.
These cameras can record images at framerates up to 19fps. They have a constant
resolution of 1624 × 1224 pixels. These cameras can be fitted with a variety of lenses
but typically Schneider 35mm lenses are used. Schneider 17mm and Sigma 50mm
lenses are also available for larger and smaller fields of view, respectively. At strain
rates of 1.0 × 10−1 s−1 to 1.0s−1 a pair of Photron MC2 cameras are used. These
cameras are capable of 2000fps at their maximum resolution of 512 × 512 pixels and
higher frame rates can be achieved with lower resolutions. The maximum framerate
of 10, 000fps can be achieved with a resolution of 512 × 96pixels. The Photron MC2
45
cameras are typically used with the same lenses as the Point Grey cameras. High
strain rate tests utilize a pair of Photron SA1.1 cameras. These cameras have a
framerate of 675, 000fps provides a reduced resolution of 64×16 pixels. Most tests are
performed with a framerate of either 100, 000fps or 125, 000fps to provide sufficient
number of frames during a test and reasonable resolution. Typical resolutions are
192 × 256 pixels. The Photron SA1.1 cameras are typically used with either 90mm
DIC has proven to be a useful tool that provides many advantages over traditional
gages are difficult to install and the proficiency of the installer has a large effect on
the quality of data measured since they are easily damaged. Additionally, they are
typically limited to small strains of less than 8%. Mechanical extensometers are easier
to use, however, they are unable to capture localizations and only provide an average
strain measurement.
DIC also eliminates error that arises due to the compliance of the test devices used.
For example, a typical load frame has an LVDT that measures the movement of the
actuator used to load the specimen, however, this measurement is taken far away from
the specimen and when high loads are applied the compliance of the actuator between
the specimen and LVDT introduces large errors into strain calculations. Since DIC
measures strain directly on the surface of the sample, it is not subject to this source of
error and thus differences in stress strain curves for samples requiring large loadings,
such as those performed on Ti-6Al-4V by Hammer [10], can arise as shown in Figure
46
3.18 [10]. The effect of compliance is proportional to the loading applied by the test
2000
1500
Stress (MPa)
1000
Tension (DIC)
Tension (Machine LVDT)
500 Compression (DIC)
Compression (Machine LVDT)
Torsion (DIC)
Torsion (Machine RVDT)
0
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35
Strain
Figure 3.18: Strain measurement comparison between DIC and the load frame mea-
surement for tests on Ti-6Al-4V
The 0.5in Al2024-T351 plate used for the simple shear test series has been exten-
sively characterized in shear (torsion) over a range of strain rates from 1 × 10−4 s−1
to 5000s−1 by Seidt [23]. Accordingly, the torsion tests using thin walled tube geom-
etry do not need to be repeated, however a single test is performed at a shear strain
experimental data at various shear strain rates with the additional test performed
is provided in Figure 3.19. As illustrated, the previous experimental data and the
47
Figure 3.19: Comparison of previous Al2024-T351 torsion data to current results
48
The simple shear geometry allows the characterization of thin sheet metals in
shear since spool shaped specimens cannot be fabricated from thin plates. Specimens
were fabricated from the 0.5in Al2024-T351 plate so that data from simple shear tests
can be compared with torsion data from spool shaped specimens. Figure 3.20 shows
data from the simple shear geometry in each of the three speicmen orientations and
the additional torsion test with the spool shaped geometry. All test data shown is
from experiments with a shear strain rate of 2000s−1 . The experimental data from
the simple shear geometry agrees very well with the torsion data. This correlation
indicates that the simple shear geometry can be effectively used to characterize thin
sheet metals in shear. In addition, the effects of anisotropy can also be determined.
Data from tests performed at high strain rates are free from oscillations and wave
reflections observed with the various other sample geometries proposed, see Section
2.1. Strain data presented is measured with DIC by averaging the Lagrange shear
strain in a rectangular area placed on the gage section, see Figure 3.21. Failure
strains are significantly higher with the simple shear geometry. This is the subject of
fail prematurely because of the stress concentration where the tube meets the flange.
49
Figure 3.20: Comparison of simple shear and torsion data
Figure 3.21: DIC strain measurement location for a simple shear test
50
3.6 Strain Rate Effects
The 0.5in Al2024-T351 plate used to fabricate the simple shear specimens is known
to be insensitive to strain rate at equivalent strain rates below 5000s−1 [24]. Thus,
it is expected that this would also be observed with the simple shear tests. Figure
3.22 shows data from specimens machined in the rolled direction at shear strain rates
ranging from 0.01s−1 to 9000s−1 . As indicated, there is no observable strain rate effect
over the large range of strain rates tested with the simple shear geometry confirming
the previous results. Failure strain increases as the shear strain rate increases, however
this can be attributed to the heat generation in the specimen increasing the ductility
of the material.
Figure 3.22: Simple shear data for Al2024-T351 in the rolled direction at various
shear strain rates
51
3.7 Anisotropic Effects
ples in various orientations. Anisotropic effects are not measurable with torsion tests
because the data is the average shear response of the plate being tested in the plane
of the gage section. The simple shear specimen allows anisotropy to be studied at
any angle to the rolled direction with thin plates, and with thicker plates specimens
could be fabricated with any orientation desired thus increasing the amount of mate-
rial response data that can be determined. Specimens in this study are fabricated in
three different orientations through the plate thickness, in the rolled direction(OR1),
as shown in Figure 3.1, to investigate the shear response anisotropy of the 0.5in
Al2024-T351 plate. Figure 3.23 shows experimental data from low rate shear tests
on specimens orientated in the three different directions. The data from specimens
orientated in the rolled direction and 45◦ to the rolled direction give nearly identical
results, however, the specimens orientated transverse to the rolled direction exhibit
higher failure strains and lower plastic flow stresses at shear strains up to 30%. The
simple shear geometry can be used to measure anisotropic effects that cannot be
52
Figure 3.23: Simple shear data from different specimen orientations at a shear strain
rate of 0.01s−1
LS-DYNA [3] is used to simulate the simple shear test. The numerical results are
compared to the experimental data. For the simulation it is assumed that during a
test the portion of the sample held by the hydraulic grips on the load frame or in the
adapters during a high rate test would not affect the gage section and thus was omitted
from the model. The geometry used in the numerical study is shown in Figure 3.24.
Hypermesh 11.0 is used to mesh the finite element model with 8-node quadilateral
elements. The elements all have an aspect ratio of 1. Elements are sized so that
the gage section consists of 110 elements across its width, and 20 elements in both
height and thickness as illustrated by Figure 3.25. Elements on the left boundary are
53
constrained in all directions and elements on the right boundary are given a velocity
(MAT098) [28] and constant stress elements. The material parameters used for the
model were deterimined from the previous characterization of the 0.5in Al2024-T351
plate and are presented by Seidt and Gilat [24]. The parameters were determined
from the combined response of the material determined by compression, tension, and
Particularly of interest is the strain state of the specimen during a test. Figure 3.26
shows DIC shear strain data in the gage section of the specimen during a test. Data is
54
Figure 3.25: FE model after meshing
not available at the edges of the gage section because of the correlation algorithm used
by the software and the size of the DIC subsets. However, the DIC data indicates a
nearly uniform state of shear strain, with variations only arising near the free edges of
the gage section. Similarly, Figure 3.27 shows the shear strain distribution obtained
from the LS-DYNA simulation which also indicates a nearly uniform state of shear
Simple shear specimen geometries that are loaded axially cannot obtain a state of
pure shear because of the emergence of a coupled bending moment across the gage
section. Figure 3.28 shows DIC measurements of strain in the vertical direction dur-
ing a test. These values are obtained when the average shear strain in the specimen
55
Figure 3.26: Shear strain distribution measured with DIC during a simple shear test
56
gage section has an approximate value of 0.20. Similarly, Figure 3.29 shows strain in
the vertical direction obtained from the simulation when the shear strain in the gage
section has an approximate value of 0.20. The experimental data and the simulation
results show similar distributions with both showing a concentration of tensile strain
near the edges of the gage section. Additionally, the simulation results indicate com-
pressive strains along the boundary of the gage section and the rest of the specimen.
These strains are not captured by the DIC because the algorithm used is not able to
extract data at the edges of the specified area of interest. Nevertheless, the strains in
the vertical direction within the majority of the gage section remain insignificant until
large values of shear strain are obtained as illustrated by Figure 3.30, which shows
the average values of shear strain and vertical strain (ǫyy ) in the gage section mea-
sured with DIC during a quasi-static simple shear test. Failure ultimately initiates in
Figure 3.28: Vertical strain (ǫyy ) distribution measured with DIC during a simple
shear test
57
Figure 3.29: Vertical strain (ǫyy ) distribution from LS-DYNA simulation
Figure 3.30: Average shear strain and vertical strain (ǫyy ) measured with DIC during
a quasi-static simple shear test
58
Chapter 4: Intermediate Strain Rate Testing
Many techniques have been developed to bridge the strain rate gap between quasi-
static and high strain rate testing and provide a method for intermediate strain rate
this section. Researchers have tried to perform intermediate strain rate tests using
standard hydraulic load frames, however the results from these tests are unsatisfactory
due to the fact that the load frame is not in equillibrium. Intermediate strain rate
tests occur at a timescale that is similar to the time it takes for stress waves to travel
through the machine and for the components of the load frame to accelerate. A direct
result of this is a large amplitude oscillatory response superposed on the load history
data. This is commonly referred to as ringing. When a load frame is used for low
rate testing the specimen and load frame are in a state of static equilibrium, however,
when these machines are used at intermediate strain rates the system is not in a state
Intermediate strain rate tests are also difficult to perform using apparatuses de-
signed for dynamic testing because of the longer test durations required to accumulate
59
significant strains in the specimen at intermediate rates. The duration of the loading
pulse with the Kolsky bar technique is proportional to the length of the striker used.
Typically, Kolsky bars are designed to give loading durations in the range of 0.25ms
al. [13] that is based on repeated loadings of a sample using a conventional Kolsky
bar apparatus designed for high strain rate testing. This method was applied to
strain rate until desired strains were achieved. The stress strain curves from each test
were simply combined to generate the complete stress strain plot for a given strain
The repeated loading method was first evaluated with quasi-static tests performed
on a load frame. Samples were tested in a typical single step compression test, and a
second set of samples were tested incrementally. Test data from both methods, shown
in Figure 4.1 [13], shows that a sample loaded incrementally and a sample loaded in
a single step produce similar stress strain curves at quasi-static conditions. Once
evaluated at quasi-static conditions, this method was then used to test specimens at
a strain rate of 340s−1 . Incremental experimental data for this intermediate strain
The incremental technique does not provide the same level of accuracy at inter-
mediate strain rates. Combining the individual components of the stress strain plot
60
Figure 4.1: Comparison of single step and incremental loading at quasi-static condi-
tions
61
results in an irregular master curve. The main issue facing this technique is that of
temperature effects. Increases in specimen temperature at low strain rates are negligi-
ble because deformation happens slowly and generated heat is removed by conduction
with the platens. At intermediate and high strain rates, however, these temperature
effects cannot be ignored. Typically, the strain rate effect that is observed in materi-
als is a combination of strain hardening due to the plastic deformation and thermal
specimen can be significant and since the test duration is very short the specimen
to cool between each loading period, effectively changing the effect of thermal soft-
ening throughout the test. Thus, data obtained from this method will not match
data obtained from a single step loading method at intermediate and higher strain
rates. This method is also very tedious and time consuming. Any mistakes during
one of the incremental steps would require starting over from the beginning with a
new specimen.
A common method for intermediate strain rate testing involves performing the
tests on a standard load frame, despite ringing as illustrated by Figure 4.3 [29], and
then using numerical studies of the entire test apparatus with an assumed specimen
62
[29], involves determining the modal response of the load frame experimentally so
Zhu outfitted an MTS load frame with a pair of Kistler 8702B500 accelerometers
in four different configurations to characterize its dynamic response. For each of the
different configurations at least five tests were performed where the vibration of the
machine was recorded after an impact was generated between the grips. A frequency
response function was determined from the measured response of the load frame which
Both techniques require tedious calculations and in the first case, relies on nu-
these methods require studies to be performed on every load frame configuration used
since modifications to the setup, such as using different specimen grips, will change
63
4.1.3 Long Kolsky Bar
A technique employed by several researchers [30, 31] for intermediate rate com-
pression testing simply involves scaling up the dimensions of the Kolsky bar. The
double the length of the striker bar. When the striker bar impacts the end of the
incident bar a compression waves propogate into both the incident and striker bars.
When the compression wave reaches the end of the striker bar, it reflects as a tensile
wave. When the tensile wave reaches the impact interface the striker separates from
the incident bar, setting the duration of the loading pulse. Thus, by scaling up the
length of the striker, a longer duration loading pulse is obtained. A longer duration
pulse is needed at intermediate strain rates because the amount of strain accumulated
in the sample during the test is determined from the strain rate and duration of the
pulse. Tests at lower strain rates require a longer pulse to accumulate enough plastic
strain in the sample. The downside to simply scaling the dimensions of the Kolsky
bar is that wave dispersion becomes an increasingly important issue as the bars are
lengthened.
A long Kolsky bar with incident and transmitter bars both measuring 11m and
a 2.5m long striker bar was developed by Song, et al. [30]. The apparatus generates
a 1ms incident wave. This duration was increased by the use of a foam pulse shaper
that slowed the momentum transfer between the striker and incident bar increasing
the duration of the incident wave to 3ms. Tests were conducted on PMDI foam, which
had an ultimate stress of 9MPa, at strain rates on the order of 10s−1 . Experimental
data from a test is given in Figure 4.4 [30]. This technique, although conceptually
64
simple, becomes unwieldy due to the large dimensions of the components as longer
Figure 4.4: Experimental record from a test on PMDI foam using a long Kolsky bar
by Gilat and Matrka [32], is discussed. The apparatus, shown schematically in Figure
4.5 [32], is comprised of a hydraulic actuator and a long transmitter bar, 40m in length.
The specimen is placed between the end of the transmitter bar and the actuator. The
specimen is loaded directly by the actuator. The custom designed hydraulic actuator
can generate a force up to 22kN at speeds up to 2m/s. The actuator has a stroke of
90mm. As the sample is loaded, a compression wave propagates down the transmitter
bar. The wave is measured with a Wheatstone bridge located near the specimen on
the transmitter bar. The experiment can continue until the wave propagates down the
65
transmitter bar, reflects back and reaches Wheatstone bridge again, approximately
16ms with the current configuration. All strain measurements are made using Digital
with other methods for testing at this strain rate. Ringing is not an issue due to the
long transmitter bar and the test is able to continue for a considerably long duration,
allowing large strains to be accumulated at low strain rates. The force measured
by the transmitter bar can be used to determine the response of the material with-
traditional load frames are used at this strain rate. Similarly, this design is able to
generate significantly longer loading pulses than a similarly sized compression kolsky
bar. A kolsky bar of immense length would be needed to generate a loading pulse of
16ms and at this scale dispersion would complicate matters. The use of a hydraulic
actuator eliminates the need for a striker and an incident bar and the location of the
Wheatstone bridge eliminates the effects of dispersion in the transmitter bar. The
abilities of the test apparatus are limited only by the specifications of the hydraulic
actuator used, namely its force capacity, velocity limit, and stroke range.
66
Chapter 5: Compression Experimental Results and
Discussion
This chapter presents the experimental program that was used in evaluating the
proposed intermediate strain rate apparatus. The methods used for quasi-static and
dynamic testing as well as the associated calculations are also presented and discussed.
Experimental results from the intermediate strain rate apparatus test series, de-
scribed in Table 5.1, are presented. Quasi-static, intermediate, and high strain rate
data are presented. Data from the intermediate strain rate apparatus shows good
agreement with data recorded using existing test apparatuses. Data spread for each
test configuration can be seen in Appendix B. Representative curves from the test
series are selected and presented here to illustrate the data trends.
pleting a strain rate test series on two materials in compression. First, specimens
were fabricated from the same 0.5in Al2024-T351 plate used in the shear test series.
Specimens were cut such that their axes of symmetry were parallel to the rolled di-
rection of the plate. Al2024-T351 does not exhibit strain rate sensitivity at or below
5000s−1 [24]. Second, samples were fabricated from a 0.25in diameter rod of Cu-101.
67
This material is known to exhibit strain rate sensitivity [33]. A test plan was created
to test both materials over a range of strain rates from 0.01s−1 to 5000s−1 . Tests
were conducted with existing compression apparatuses and the intermediate strain
rate apparatus. The test plan for this test series is outlined by Table 5.1. Specimen
orientations are illustrated by Figure 5.1. Results from these tests are presented at
68
Figure 5.1: Specimen fabrication orientations: (a) 0.5in thick Al2024-T351 plate, (b)
0.25in diameter Cu-101 rod
Compression tests are conducted using solid cylindrical specimens with the ge-
ometry shown in Figure 5.2. The length to diameter ratio of the specimens is one,
significantly higher ratios increase the chance for specimen buckling which would re-
sult in a complex stress state that is no longer uniaxial. Specimens are fabricated
with conventional machining techniques and dimensions are recorded prior to testing.
69
Figure 5.2: Compression specimen used in plastic deformation testing(dimensions in
inches)
Quasi-static compression tests were performed using the Instron model 1321 load
frame discussed previously in Section 3.2. Compression tests are conducted using a
pair of short steel pushrods loaded into collets shown in Figure 5.3. Masking tape is
used to prevent glare from external lighting that would be detrimental to the Digital
Image Correlation system used for all tests, see Section 3.4. Tungsten Carbide inserts
are used as platens during compression testing to avoid fixture deformation. The
pushrods are aligned through the use of a pin that connects both rods together until
the collets are tightened. After the collets are tightened the platens are installed and
checked to ensure parallelism. Interfaces between the specimen and the platens are
lubricated with Molybendum Disulfide (MoS2 ) grease to minimize the effects of fric-
tion and reduce specimen barreling, which results in a non-uniaxial stress state. Prior
70
to testing, specimens are centered on the platens and a small preload (approximately
Intermediate strain rate tests are performed using the intermediate strain rate
testing apparatus introduced in Section 4.2. The apparatus, shown in Figure 5.4 was
71
[34], shown in Figure 5.5. The actuator is mounted to a counterweight, and is capable
90mm. A long transmitter bar, 40m in length, is used to measure force. A spring
and damper at the end of the transmitter bar brings it to rest after a test. Different
transmitter bar materials and diameters are available depending on the strength of
the sample. The apparatus can be fitted with either a 12.7mm Ti-6Al-4V bar, a
22.23mm 304L stainless steel bar, or a 38.1mm 304L stainless steel bar. Bars with
higher impedences have a lower particle velocity, however, the force sensitivity also
decreases. All bars have a cumulative length of 40m and are comprised of individual
10 to 12 foot long bars joined with threaded couplings. This test program employed
Although the design eliminates ringing with the use of a long transmitter bar,
dispersion effects can still disrupt the strains measured by the Wheatstone bridge
72
Figure 5.5: Intermediate strain rate apparatus hydraulic actuator
near the specimen for determining the loading if a specimen with a diameter much
smaller than that of the bar is used. The specimens being tested have a diameter
of 3.05mm, and due to the high forces needed for large deformation the 22.23mm
transmitter bar was needed. A Futek load cell, shown in Figure 5.6, is glued directly
on the end of bar and serves as a redundant force measurement. Force measurements
were recorded with both the Futek load cell and instrumented transmitter bar during
tests.
from the end of the transmitter bar to determine the force in the specimen. The
gages. 15.0V excitation is provided by an Agilent 3611A power supply. The signal
low pass filter set to 100kHz. The force transmitted by the sample is also measured
with a Futek LCA300 load cell that has a capacity of 22.3kN. 10.0V excitation and
73
Figure 5.6: Load cell glued to transmitter bar of the intermediate strain rate appa-
ratus
signal conditioning are both provided by a Vishay Measurements Model 2311 signal
conditioning amplifier with a gain of 10 and a low pass filter set to 10.0kHz. Both
signals are recorded using a four channel 350MHz, 8 bit Tektronix TDS5034B digital
phosphor oscilloscope.
ated by a laptop via USB. The controller allows different displacement curves to be
programmed for the actuator. For this test series a sinusoidal displacement curve
was used. The frequency of the sinusoidal curve can be adjusted to provide different
actuator velocities during the test. The location of the transmitter bar is adjusted so
impact occurs just before constant velocity is achieved. The location of the actuator
is measured by the controller with a Biss Bi-LV-3/19-025 LVDT. The data from the
74
LVDT is also output from the controller through a digital to analog converter as a
During a test the sample is impacted directly by the hydraulic actuator generating
a compression wave that propagates down the transmitter bar. This wave is measured
by both the Wheatstone bridge and the load cell. Molybendum DiSulfide grease is
used to lubricate the interfaces with the specimen to reduce the effects of friction
and maintain a state of uniaxial compression. The engineering stress in the sample
is proportional to the magnitude of the wave, ǫt , and can be determined from the
Eb Ab ǫt
σ(t) = (5.1)
As
where Eb is the modulus of the bar material, Ab is the cross sectional area of the bar,
and As is the initial cross sectional area of the specimen. The engineering stress can
also be determined from the measurement obtained by the load cell from
Fc
σ(t) = (5.2)
As
All specimen strain data is recorded using Digital Image Correlation during tests.
DIC provides strain data directly on the surface of the specimen and also the relative
positions of the platens. Force data from the Wheatstone bridge and the Futek load
cell recorded during a typical test on Cu-101 is shown in Figure 5.7. The specimen
is subjected to a peak load of roughly 7kN. The loading duration was approximately
8ms, after which the sample deformation slowed, indicating the end of the test. Mea-
surements from both the Wheatstone bridge and Futek load cell agree. All data
75
data can be seen in Figure 5.8, which shows the stress, strain rate, and strain history
of a specimen from a typical test on the intermediate strain rate apparatus. The
strain history of the specimen was determined from DIC data. The derivative of the
strain history was then calculated to determine the strain rate history. The strain rate
data was then filtered using a moving average with a window of 100 points to reduce
noise. As illustrated on the strain rate history, the strain rate of the specimen during
the test is not constant. The average strain rate of the specimen for the data shown
is 70s−1 . The hydraulic actuator used is tunable in that the speed of the actuator
can be adjusted during the test duration. Further refinement of the test technique
the speed of the actuator to compensate for the increase in force as the specimen is
deformed, the decrease in strain rate as the test progresses could be lessened.
76
Figure 5.7: Force history from a typical test on Cu-101 with the intermediate strain
rate apparatus
Figure 5.8: Processed data from a typical intermediate strain rate test on Cu-101,
average strain rate 70s−1
77
5.4 High Strain Rate Compression Apparatus
The compression Kolsky Bar at the DMML, see Figures 5.9 [23] and 5.10 [23],
consists of three 12.7mm diameter Ti-6Al-4V rods. The incident and transmitter
bars are both 1880mm long. A 610mm long striker bar is fired into the incident
bar at velocities up to 40m/s. This impact generates the loading wave which has a
nominal duration of approximately 250µs. A tube located at the end of the trans-
mitter bar utilizes an energy damping material to gently bring the bars to rest after
a test. Strains are measured in the incident and transmitter bars using strain gages
a pair of Hewlett Packard E3611A power supplies. The Wheatstone bridges are each
located in the center of both the incident and transmitter bars. Signal conditioning
with a low pass filter set to 100kHz. The signals are measured using a four chan-
2.5 × 106 Hz. The interface between the bars and the specimen is lubricated with
Molybendum Disulfide grease in order to reduce the effect of friction and maintain a
An overview of the test methodology and the data analysis necessary for the
compression Kolsky bar technique is given by Gray [35]. With this technique a gas
gun is used to fire a striker bar which then impacts the end of the incident bar, creating
an elastic strain wave in the incident bar. This strain wave, ǫi , travels through the
incident bar toward the specimen. The amplitude of the incident wave is dependent
78
Figure 5.9: Compression Kolsky bar used by the DMML
79
on the velocity of the striker, v, and is given by
v
ǫi = (5.3)
2cb
where cb is the longitudinal elastic wave velocity in the bar that is given by
s
Eb
cb = (5.4)
ρb
where Eb and ρb are the elastic modulus and density, respectively, of the bars used
in the test apparatus. When the incident wave reaches the specimen, the specimen
begins to deform plastically. A portion of the wave travels through the specimen and
into the transmitter bar, which is known as the transmitted wave ǫt . The remaining
portion of the incident wave reflects back into the incident bar as a tensile wave,
ǫr , unloading the bar. The engineering stress in the specimen is proportional to the
Eb Ab ǫt
σ(t) = (5.5)
As
where Ab is the cross sectional area of the bars used and As is the initial cross sectional
area of the specimen being tested. The strain rate in the sample is proportional to
the relative velocity between the ends of the incident, ui , and transmitter, ut , bars at
the interface with the specimen. The strain rate in the sample can be determined by
assuming
ǫi = ǫt + ǫr (5.7)
where ls is the initial gage length of the specimen. Once the time dependent strain rate
has been determined it is integrated to determine the strain history of the specimen.
80
The forces in the two ends of the specimen can be found from.
Fi = Ab Eb (ǫi + ǫr ) (5.8)
and
Ft = Ab Eb ǫt (5.9)
Recorded wave data from a typical test on Al2024-T351, shown in Figure 5.11,
shows the incident wave beginning at approximately 35µs and increasing to a value
of approximately 28kN. The reflected wave begins at approximately 415µs and the
transmitted wave begins at approximately 430µs. In this example, the test is consid-
ered complete at approximately 550µs when there is a sudden drop in the transmit-
ted force, indicating failure of the specimen. Processed experimental data from the
recorded waves can be seen in Figure 5.12, which shows the stress, strain rate, and
strain history of a specimen from a typical test on the compression Kolsky bar.
81
Figure 5.11: Typical wave data from a compression Kolsky bar experiment on Al2024-
T351
Figure 5.12: Processed wave data from a typical compression Kolsky bar experiment
on Al2024-T351
82
5.5 Intermediate Strain Rate Data
Presented strain data are measured with DIC. The compressive strain in Figure
5.14 and in all plots in Appendix B is a hybrid of sample surface strain and strain
calculated from platen motion. Initially, the hybrid strain is the average Hencky strain
in a rectangular area on the surface of the specimen. After yielding, DIC is used to
determine the motion of the platens which is used to determine the engineering strain
test. The 0.5in Al2024 plate tested is known to be insensitive to strain rate. Figure
5.14 shows data from Al2024 specimens tested at a low strain rate, 0.01s−1 , on an
83
Instron load frame and at an intermediate strain rate, 100s−1 , using the proposed
apparatus. As illustrated, the intermediate data correlates well with the load frame
data and also does not exhibit ringing that is common to other intermediate rate test
methodologies.
Figure 5.14: Comparison of Al204-T351 data between load frame and intermediate
strain rate apparatus
84
5.6 Strain Rate Effect
strain rates. Al2024-T351 specimens are fabricated from a previously tested plate
known to not exhibit strain rate sensitivity [24]. Conversely, the Cu-101 should exhibit
strain rate sensitivity [33]. The experimental data from the intermediate strain rate
apparatus should reflect these trends as well. Figure 5.15 shows true stress versus true
strain data for the Cu-101 specimens at various strain rates. Tests at a strain rate of
0.01s−1 and 1.0s−1 were conducted on an Instron load frame, tests at 100s−1 on the
intermediate strain rate apparatus, and tests at 5000s−1 on a compression Kolsky bar.
As illustrated, the intermediate strain rate apparatus captures the strain rate effect
illustrates the effectiveness of the intermediate strain rate apparatus and corroborates
85
Figure 5.15: True stress versus true strain for Cu-101 over a range of strain rates
86
Chapter 6: Summary and Conclusions
A new specimen geometry for the characterization of thin sheet metals in sim-
ple shear and an intermediate strain rate apparatus for compression are introduced.
Experimental test plans are created to evaluate the simple shear geometry and inter-
mediate strain rate apparatus. Data spread from the two test series can be seen in
Detailed results from the simple shear test series are presented in Chapter 3.
Experimental methods used in the testing are also described in Chapter 3. A 0.5in
Al2024-T351 plate is tested due to the previously available shear data over a wide
range of strain rates from torsion tests with thin walled tube geometry. Simple
shear specimens are fabricated and the experimental data is compared to torsion
data from specimens with thin walled tube geometry. Tests are performed according
to the test plan outlined in Table 3.1. Simple shear specimens are fabricated with
their gage sections orientated in various directions. A test is also performed using
the thin walled tube specimen geometry to confirm the existing experimental data.
Simple shear specimens are tested in quasi-static conditions with an Instron 1321
load frame and in dynamic conditions with a direct tension Kolsky bar. The test on
87
the thin walled tube geometry is conducted with a stored torsion Kolsky bar. Three-
dimensional Digital Image Correlation is used during all tests to measure deformation
Tests with the simple shear specimen are conducted at shear strain rates ranging
from 0.01s−1 to 9000s−1. Stress versus strain curves from both the simple shear and
thin walled tube geometries agree indicating that the proposed specimen geometry is
suitable for characterizing thin sheet metals in shear. The simple shear geometry is
able to measure anisotropic effects which are averaged in torsion tests on thin walled
can result in differences in failure strains and plastic flow stresses. A numerical study
is performed using LS-DYNA to determine the state of strain within the gage section
and compare results to experimental measurements taken with DIC. The results from
the simulation and DIC indicate that most of the gage section is under a uniform
state of shear strain and that nearly pure shear is achieved until large shear strains
are accumulated in the specimen. Results also indicate that plastic deformation is
Results from the experimental test series to evaluate the proposed intermediate
strain rate apparatus are presented in Chapter 5. Experimental methods are also pre-
sented in Chapter 5. Two materials are chosen for the experimental testing: a strain
rate insensitive material, Al2024-T351, and a strain rate sensitive material, Cu-101.
Tests are performed following the experimental outline given in Table 5.1. Compres-
sion tests are performed using cylindrical specimens over a wide range of strain rates
88
ranging from 0.01s−1 to 5000s− 1. Quasi-static tests are performed using an Instron
1321 load frame, intermediate rate tests are performed using the proposed interme-
diate strain rate apparatus, and high rate tests are performed using a compression
Kolsky bar. Three-dimensional DIC is used during all tests to measure deformations
and strains.
Experimental data illustrates that the intermediate strain rate apparatus is able
to capture the expected data trends for both of the materials, indicating that the
rates. The design allows significant strains be accumulated during the test duration
at intermediate strain rates. The experimental data also shows that the apparatus is
not affected by ringing, which is common with other methods for intermediate strain
rate testing.
89
Appendix A: Experimental Results from the Simple Shear
Test Series
The experimental results from each of the test sets used to evaluate the simple
shear geometry are presented here to show the amount of data spread in each set.
Data are presented in shear stress versus shear strain. Results and discussion are
presented in Chapter 3.
90
A.1 Simple Shear Results
91
Figure A.2: Shear test data spread: rolled direction, γ̇ = 2000s−1
92
Figure A.3: Shear test data spread: rolled direction, γ̇ = 4500s−1
93
Figure A.4: Shear test data spread: rolled direction, γ̇ = 9000s−1
94
A.1.2 Transverse Direction
95
Figure A.6: Shear test data spread: transverse direction, γ̇ = 2000s−1
96
Figure A.7: Shear test data spread: transverse direction, γ̇ = 4500s−1
97
Figure A.8: Shear test data spread: transverse direction, γ̇ = 9000s−1
98
A.1.3 45◦ from Rolled Direction
Figure A.9: Shear test data spread: 45◦ from rolled direction, γ̇ = 0.01s−1
99
Figure A.10: Shear test data spread: 45◦ from rolled direction, γ̇ = 2000s−1
100
Figure A.11: Shear test data spread: 45◦ from rolled direction, γ̇ = 4500s−1
101
Figure A.12: Shear test data spread: 45◦ from rolled direction, γ̇ = 9000s−1
102
A.2 Torsion Results
103
Appendix B: Experimental Results from the Test Series
Evaluating the Intermediate Strain Rate Apparatus
Experimental results from each of the tests used to evaluate the intermediate
strain rate apparatus are presented here. Data is presented in true stress versus true
strain. Note that the sign of the data has been flipped for easier interpretation. The
data presented has been clipped to true strain values of 0.36 because at large strains
barreling occurs and the stress state is no longer uniaxial. Results and discussion are
presented in Chapter 5.
104
B.1 Results from the 0.5in Al2024-T351 Plate
Figure B.1: Compression test data spread: Al2024-T351, rolled direction, ǫ̇ = 0.01s−1
105
Figure B.2: Compression test data spread: Al2024-T351, rolled direction, ǫ̇ = 1.0s−1
106
Figure B.3: Compression test data spread: Al2024-T351, rolled direction, ǫ̇ = 100s−1
107
Figure B.4: Compression test data spread: Al2024-T351, rolled direction, ǫ̇ = 5000s−1
108
B.2 Results from the 0.25in Cu-101 Rod
109
Figure B.6: Compression test data spread: Cu-101, ǫ̇ = 1.0s−1
110
Figure B.7: Compression test data spread: Cu-101, ǫ̇ = 100s−1
111
Figure B.8: Compression test data spread: Cu-101, ǫ̇ = 5000s−1
112
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