No abstract

As a macroscopically orthotropic material, beech wood has different mechanical properties along the fiber direction and the direction perpendicular to the fiber direction, presenting a complicated strain rate sensitivity under impact or blast loadings. To understand the effect of the strain rate on the mechanical properties of beech wood, dynamic compression tests were conducted for the strain rate range of 800 s−1–2000 s−1, and quasi-static compression tests for obtaining the static mechanical properties of beech wood were also performed for comparison. The fiber direction effect on the mechanical properties was also analyzed, considering two loading directions: one perpendicular to the beech fiber direction and the other parallel to the beech fiber direction. The results show that beech wood for both loading directions has a significant strain rate sensitivity, and the mechanical properties of beech wood along the fiber direction are superior to those along the direction perpendicular to the fiber direction. An analysis of the macrostructures and microstructures of beech specimens is also presented to illustrate the failure mechanisms. The beech wood, as a natural protective material, has special dynamic mechanical properties in the aspect of transverse isotropy. This research provides a theoretical basis for application in protective structures.

In this study, a total of 30 3D re-entrant honeycomb specimens made of polyamide were fabricated with various configurations by using the additive manufacturing (AM) technique. Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) tests were conducted on the RH specimens at different impact velocities. The incident, reflected and transmitted waveforms can well explain the wave propagation and energy absorption characteristics of the specimens, which can help us to understand and analyse the process of impact loading. The stress–strain curves, energy absorption ability and failure modes of SHPB tests with different impact velocities and quasi-static compression tests were analysed and compared, and it was found that the flow stress and energy absorption ability of the specimens subjected to impact load were much improved. Among the tested specimens, specimen C2, with a smaller re-entrant angle θ, displayed the best energy absorption ability, which was 1.701 J/cm3 at the impact velocity of 22 m/s and was 5.1 times that in the quasi-static test. Specimen C5 had the longest horizontal length of the diagonal bar L0, and its energy absorption was 1.222 J/cm3 at the impact velocity of 22 m/s and was 15.7 times that in the quasi-static test, reflecting the superiority of a structurally stable specimen in energy absorption under impact loading. The test results can provide a reference for the optimization of the design of the same or similar structures.

Although highly desirable, the experimental technology of the dynamic mechanical properties of materials under multiaxial impact loading is rarely explored. In this study, a true-biaxial split Hopkinson pressure bar device is developed to achieve the biaxial synchronous impact loading of a specimen. A symmetrical wedge-shaped, dual-wave bar is designed to decompose a single stress wave into two independent and symmetric stress waves that eventually form an orthogonal system and load the specimen synchronously. Furthermore, a combination of ground gaskets and lubricant is employed to eliminate the shear stress wave and separate the coupling of the shear and axial stress waves propagating in bars. Some confirmatory and applied tests are carried out, and the results show not only the feasibility of this modified device but also the dynamic mechanical characteristics of specimens under biaxial impact loading. This novel technique is readily implementable and also has good application potential in material mechanics testing.