Dynamic Force Measurement Techniques Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar Testing of Low Acoustic Impedance Materials Used as Armor Interlayer Materials

Abstract

GoreTM PolarchipTM heat insulating Teflon and Dow ChemicalsTM Voracor CS Polyurethane were characterized in this study by conducting compression tests at various strain rates. Quasi-static compression tests were done with a Shimadzu AG-X conventional test machine while two different modified Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) systems were used for dynamic compression tests. Since dynamic testing of soft materials with classical SHPB is problematic due to low signal levels and relatively higher signal to noise ratio, impact end of transmitter bar was modified with insertion of piezoelectric force transducers through the SHPB tests of Teflon, thus enabling the direct measurement of force on specimen. High strain tests of Polyurethane involved oscillations in both incident and transmitter bar signals. To overcome this, EPDM rubber pulse shaper was used through the SHPB tests of Polyurethane. Experimental results were used in numerical study as material model parameters and SHPB tests of both materials were simulated in LS-DYNA. Experimental study concluded strong strain rate dependency in both Teflon and Polyurethane, depicting an increase in maximum stress with the increase in strain rate. Numerical study showed a good correlation with experiments in terms of bar stresses and damage behavior of specimens, offering a solution to more complex problems that can be encountered in future studies.