HIGH STRAIN RATE STUDY OF CERAMICS USING HOPKINSON BAR SYSTEM

There are at present several applications where high strength ceramics have replaced metals that are subjected to high speed impact from projectiles. This requires an evaluation of behavior of ceramics under impact at high strain rates. This current study provides information on high strain-rate behavior of alumina tested in shear using torsional Hopkinson bar. Dynamic stress-strain curves were generated to investigate deformation behavior prior to fracture while fractography of the broken specimens was carried out to establish the mode of failure. The results of this investigation are similar to what is obtainable in metallic materials in which mechanism of damage is controlled by strain localization and formation of adiabatic shear bands.