On the use of the non direct tensile loading on a classical split Hopkinson bar apparatus dedicated to sheet metal specimen characterisation

The facilities used to determine behaviour laws under dynamic loading are classified into two categories: impulsive and impact loading. For the first category, the properties of the industrial materials and their evolution at moderate strain rates range is generally obtained using split Hopkinson bars devices. Shear, tensile or compression strain modes, observed on crashed frameworks, are then applied on specimens to establish classical plastic stress/strain relations. Tensile testing using a non direct loading configuration raise the problem of the set-up and the holding of sheet specimens on the split Hopkinson bars devices, which generally induces impedance mismatches and perturbs the elastic pulses during their run through the specimen assemblies. This paper presents an original tensile testing configuration required bonded sheet metal specimens on the external part of threaded sleeves. A test programme is carried out on two metallic alloys (XES low carbon steel and 2024 T3 aluminium) at plastic strain rates between 180 and 440 s−1. All results are compared with others experimental raw databases and validate this first stage of tensile loading.