Dynamic tensile deformation and fracture of a highly particle-filled composite using SHPB and high-speed DIC method

State Key Laboratory of Explosion Science and Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China

^a e-mail: pwchen@bit.edu.cn

Abstract

In this work, various tensile tests, including Brazilian disc test (BDT), flattened Brazilian disc (FBD) test and semi-circular bending (SCB) test, were carried out on a highly particle-filled composite by using a split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB). With the consideration of low strength and low wave impedance of the materials, a quartz crystal transducer was embedded in SHPB to measure the loading forces. A high-speed camera was used to capture the deformation and fracture process of materials. Digital image correlation (DIC) method was used to process these digital images to obtain the dynamic deformation information. Based on the measured strain fields, the crack growth path was determined and the failure mechanism of samples was analyzed. Combining SHPB and DIC method, the indirect tensile stress strain plots of disc samples were obtained, and the dynamic fracture toughness of materials was measured using both FBD and SCB tests. The results show that the tensile failure strength and fracture toughness increases with the increase of strain rates, exhibiting strain rate dependence. The high-speed DIC method combined with SHPB is effective to study the dynamic tensile behaviour of brittle materials with low strengths.