Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar Compression Testing of an Aluminum Alloy: Effect of Lubricant Type

Abstract

The Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB), or Kolsky Bar, is widely used for studying the dynamic mechanical properties of metals and other materials. A cylindrical specimen is sandwiched between the incident and transmitter bars, Fig. 1, and a constant amplitude elastic wave is generated by the striker bar. Strain gages mounted on the incident and transmitter bars allow the compressive stress-strain response of the specimen to be established using uniaxial elastic wave theory [1]. A more detailed overview of SHPB testing is found in [2]. Lubricant is usually applied to the interfaces because the presence of any frictional effect on the specimen surfaces forms a multiaxial stress-state and invalidates one of the most important assumptions of the SHPB analysis, namely, a uniaxial stress state. This paper quantifies the effect for an aluminum alloy.