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Background: The quality of Digital Volume Correlation (DVC) full-field displacement measurements depends directly on the characteristics of the X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT) equipment, and scan procedures used to acquire the tomographic images. Objective: We seek to experimentally study the effects of XCT equipment and tomographic scan procedures on the quality of these images for DVC analysis, and to survey the level of DVC error that may be achieved using standard XCT operating procedures. Methods: Six participants in an interlaboratory study acquired high-quality XCT scans of a syntactic foam before and after rigid body motion. The resulting images were correlated using commercial DVC software to quantify error sources due to random image noise, reconstruction artifacts, as well as systematic spatial or temporal distortion. Results: In the absence of rigid body motion, the standard deviation of the displacement measurements ranged from 0.012 to 0.043 voxels using a moderate subvolume size, indicating that subvoxel measurement resolution could readily be achieved with a variety of XCT equipment and scan recipes. Comparison of consecutive scans without rigid body motion showed transient dilatational displacement gradients due to self-heating of the X-ray source and/or thermal expansion of the foam. Evaluation of the scans after rigid body motion showed significant, machine-specific spatial distortion in the displacement fields of up to 0.5 voxels; new approaches to remove this error need to be developed. Conclusions: Analysis of the scan protocols used in the interlaboratory study, as well as a complementary parametric sensitivity study, showed that the DVC error was strongly influenced by the XCT equipment, but could be mitigated by adjusting the total scan duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three high-performance concrete (HPC) materials with different specimen geometries were characterized using Kolsky compression bar techniques to study the strain rate and specimen size effects on their uniaxial compressive strength. A large-diameter Kolsky bar and recently established annular pulse shaping technique were used to achieve dynamic stress equilibrium and constant strain-rate deformation in the experiments. A complimentary effort was conducted using a 19-mm-diameter Kolsky compression bar to understand the strain rate and specimen size effects on failure strength and dynamic increase factor (DIF) for concrete. It was found that, for all three concrete materials investigated, the failure strength is highly dependent on the specimen geometry, however such a relationship is not apparent for the DIF. The DIF observed in this study shows significantly lower values compared to historical data, which may indicate the importance of well-controlled dynamic testing conditions on the accuracy and validity of experimental results for concrete materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we experimentally determined the dynamic response of a damaged borosilicate glass at different temperatures, damage levels and confinement pressures. The initiation and evolution of damage during the loading process were also examined. An improved double-pulse loading Kolsky compression bar, integrated with a non-contact high temperature testing system and a single loading momentum trap system, was used to characterize the high-rate mechanical behavior of a damaged borosilicate glass. Specimen deformation was interrupted at different strain levels to reveal damage evolution with increasing strain. The results show that the equivalent flow strength of damaged borosilicate glass depends linearly on the hydrostatic pressure; however the variation of temperature has little effects on the strength. Through post-mortem SEM analysis, the failure in an intact specimen was found to be initiated in the form of axial splitting. Further loading on the splitted specimens induced catastrophic buckling of the columns which converted the specimens into small fragments. Shear zones became evident in the compacted fragments as deformation further accumulated. The propagation of the shear zones to the entire specimen eventually led to full comminution of the borosilicate glass material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel high temperature ring-on-ring Kolsky bar technique was employed to investigate the dynamic equibiaxial flexural strength of borosilicate glass at temperatures ranging from room temperature up to 750°C. This technique provided non-contact heating of the glass specimen and prevented thermal shocks in the specimen. Experimental results at the loading rate of 22.5 MN/s showed significant temperature dependence on the flexural strength. To explore the mechanisms of this temperature effect, controlled surface cracks were introduced on the tensile surface of the glass specimens using a Vickers indentation technique. These surface cracks were then heat treated under the same thermal histories as those tested in the high temperature dynamic experiments. The evolution of crack morphologies at 200°C, 550°C and 650°C were examined. The results indicate that residual stress relaxation may play an important role in the strengthening below 200°C, while crack healing and blunting may account for the strengthening above 500°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An integrated experimental technique was developed for high-rate mechanical characterization of 304L stainless steel at elevated temperatures by using a modified split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB). A sandwich structure consisting of two platens and the specimen in between was heated before mechanical loading while the bars were maintained at room temperature to eliminate the temperature gradient effect on the wave propagation in the bars. Upon contacting the cold bars, temperature gradients form in the platens, leaving the temperature in specimen constant and uniform. Pulse shaping techniques were employed to maintain constant strain-rate deformation and dynamic stress equilibrium in the specimen. Dynamic compressive stress-strain curves at elevated temperatures for the 304L stainless steel were obtained. To relate recrystallization to impact loading, a momentum trapping system was employed to apply a single loading on the specimen during one dynamic experiment. We also controlled the quenching time to study its effect on recrystallization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determination of dynamic tensile response of soft materials has been a challenge because of experimental difficulties. Split Hopkinson tension bar (SHTB) is a commonly used device for the characterization of high-rate tensile behavior of engineering materials. However, when the specimen is soft, it is challenging to design the necessary grips, to measure the weak transmitted signals, and for the specimen to achieve dynamic stress equilibrium. In this work, we modified the SHTB on the loading pulse, the equilibrium-monitoring system, and the specimen geometry. The results obtained using this modified device to characterize a soft rubber indicate that the specimen deforms under dynamic stress equilibrium at a nearly constant strain rate. Axial and radial inertia effects commonly encountered in dynamic characterization of soft materials are also minimized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]