Evaluation of High Strain Rate Characteristics of Metallic Sandwich Specimens

Abstract

An attempt is made to investigate the dynamic compressive response of multilayered specimens in bilayered and trilayered configurations, using a split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) and finite element analysis. Two constituent metals comprising the multilayered configurations were Al 6063-T6 and IS 1570. Multiple stack sequences of trilayered and bilayered configurations were evaluated at three different sets of strain rates, namely, 500, 800, and 1000 s−1. The experiments revealed that even with the same constituent volume fraction, a change in the stacking sequence alters the overall dynamic constitutive response. This change becomes more evident, especially in the plastic zone. The finite element analysis was performed using abaqus/explicit. A three-dimensional (3D) model of the SHPB apparatus used in the experiments was generated and meshed using the hexahedral brick elements. Dissimilar material interfaces were assigned different dynamic coefficients of friction. The fundamental elastic one-dimensional (1D) wave theory was then utilized to evaluate the stress–strain response from the nodal strain histories of the bars. Predictions from the finite element simulations along with the experimental results are also presented in this study. For most cases, finite element predictions match well with the experiments.