Abstract
When a conventional split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) is used to investigate the dynamic flow behavior of ductile metals, the results at small strains (ε<∿2%) are not considered valid due to fluctuations associated with the early portion of the reflected signal. When small-strain behavior is important, or when the large fluctuations in the loading pulses cannot be tolerated, the level of accuracy provided by a conventional SHPB is not acceptable. With the employment of a pulse-shaping technique, the dynamic elastic properties can be determined with a SHPB, as well as the dynamic plastic flow. This paper introduces the challenges associated with SHPB testing on ductile metals in the small strain range and presents remedies to obtain accurate dynamic properties. A description of the experimental technique, in particular, the implementation of the pulse-shaping method, and the experimental results on an aluminum metals with a variety of hardness will be presented.
