Available online at www.sciencedirect.

com

ScienceDirect
Materials Today: Proceedings 5 (2018) 2824–2829 www.materialstoday.com/proceedings

ICAMA 2016

Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar Apparatus for Compression Testing:

A Review
Sudheeraa, Y S Rammohan*a, Pradeep M Sb
a
Department of Mechanical Engineering, BMS College of Engineering,Bengaluru, India
b
National Aerospace Laboratories, Bengaluru, India

Abstract

For a long time tests have been created to decide the quality of materials under static stacking conditions. Prior, material
properties were measured utilizing water driven or screw sort testing machines that were just equipped for acquiring a greatest
strain rate in the range of 0.1 every second. From there onwards other test installations have been created that can accomplish a
strain of around 100 every second. The most well-known and generally utilized strategy to decide dynamic material properties is
the Split Hopkinson Pressure bar (SPHB) device and strain rates are in the extent of 10 2 – 10 4 every second. Notwithstanding
high strain rates, it has been utilized for testing materials with lower strain rates, for example, concrete. In some tests, it has been
utilized to describe high temperature conduct. In the recent times, the SPHB mechanical assembly discovers its utilization in
property assessment of composite materials. In the split Hopkinson bar test, a short barrel shaped specimen is sandwiched
between two long bars. The bars are by and large made of gentle steel with distances across 20mm and a length 500mm.The
finishes of the weight bars and specimen are machined level to implement recommended limit conditions. Huge headways
executed from the ranges of testing strategies, numerical techniques, and sign preparing have enhanced the exactness and
repeatability of high strain rate testing. A few elements impact the precision of the outcomes including longitudinal wave
scattering, impedance befuddle of the bars with the specimen and transducer properties among others. Dispersive nature of the
bars is to be known with a specific end goal to foresee the weight beats accurately. The paper gives an extensive survey of the
SPHB systems used for material property assessment.

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Selection and Peer-review under responsibility of International Conference on Advanced Materials and Applications
(ICAMA2016).

Keywords: Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar, Dynamic Material Property, Longitudinal Wave Dispersion, Impedance Mismatch

1. Introduction

For quite a while tests have been made to choose the nature of materials under static stacking conditions.

* Corresponding author: Tel.: +91-9449457977

E-mail address: ysrmohan.mech@bmsce.ac.in

2214-7853© 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Selection and Peer-review under responsibility of International Conference on Advanced Materials and Applications (ICAMA 2016).
 Sudheera et al. /Materials Today: Proceedings 5 (2018) 2824–2829 2825

Regardless, there was little research on the effect that the stacking rate had sorted out material properties until
around 50 years earlier. Starting in the 1950s and 1960s there was a spike in excitement relating to the examination
of high stacking rate mechanical behavior [1]. This climb in interest was driven by military investigation overseeing
ballistics insurance applications and the aeronautical business premiums, in meteorite influence on satellites and
juvenile ingestion in plane engines. Prior to this investigation, material properties were measured using weight
driven or screw sort testing machines that were only prepared for getting biggest strain rate in the solicitation of
0.1per sec. Starting now and into the foreseeable future other test devices have been delivered that can finish a strain
of around 100 for each sec. These sorts of tests consolidate pendulum influence test, for instance, Charpy test, and
drop influence testing. In any case, these tests don't yield a complete component stress-strain twist. There are a
couple of ways to deal with choose dynamic material properties. However the most surely understood and by and
large used procedure is the ‘Part Hopkinson pressure bar’ gadget.

The split-Hopkinson bar was at first proposed by Bertram Hopkinson in 1914. His layout contained a long steel
bar, a short steel billet (test case). Hopkinson would influence one end of the steel bar by technique for high which
would make a compressive wave that would experience the bar and into the steel billet. The musing was to deliver
pressure in the bar that would look like pressure found in an impact. From the test Hopkinson could make pressure
time twists that would delineate an impact event [2-4].

2. Rule of Hopkinson Bar

The split Hopkinson bar test is the most regularly used system for choosing material properties at high rates of
strain. In the split Hopkinson bar test, a short tube moulded case is sandwiched between two long bars. The bars are
generally made of delicate steel with estimations 20mm and length 500mm.The completions of the pressure bars and
illustration are machined level to maintain supported farthest point conditions. Regularly a shot (striker bar) is
released into the end of the information bar (event bar) generating a compressive wave. In a split second after
producing results, this wave comes towards the input bar-case interface at which the wave is for the most part
reflected into the input bar and to some degree transmitted through the illustration and into the yield bar (transmitted
bar). The strain histories in the two pressure bars are recorded by a set of two strain gages. Seeing that the weights in
the bars stay under their flexible purposes of containment, illustration extend to strain, and strain rate may be figured
from the data generating structure [1, 5].

The split Hopkinson bar test is by the most used procedure for predicting material properties at High rates of
strain.

Fig.1 Schematic of Split Hopkinson weight Bar (SHPB) Mechanical gathering

Huge progress shown from the results of testing systems, numerical methods, and nature of loading has upgraded
the precision and repeatability of high strain rate testing. Enduring strain rate tests can be performed at strain rates
moving nearly 10^4 for every sec for the most part easily. Split Hopkinson test bar with a short tube moulded and
sandwiched between two long adaptable bars is illustrated as shown in Fig. 1.The terminations of the weight bars as
illustrated are machined level to approve suggested limit conditions. Customarily a shot (striker bar) is released into
the end of the data bar creating a compressive tension beat. Rapidly producing after results, this pulse comes
towards the data bar-case interface at which the beat is to some degree reflected into the data bar and not completely
transmitted through the case and into the yield bar. The reflected pulse is reflected as a wave in pressure with the
transmitted pulse stays in weight. The strain histories in the two weight bars are recorded by the two strain gauges.
2826 Sudheera et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 5 (2018) 2824–2829

In as far as the weights in the bars stay under their adaptable cut-off focuses, case push, strain, and strain rate
may be figured out from the recorded strain histories. Under certain critical conditions, only two key strain beats
need be perceived. These are the reflected pulse and the beat transmitted through the case.

Kolsky [2] developed the following in association for figuring the illustration stress.

( )= ( ) 2.1

Where E is the yield weight bar's adaptable modulus, Ao is the yield bars cross sectional domain, A is the
specimen's cross sectional extent, and εT(t) is the transmitted strain history. Case strain rate may be registered from.

( )
= − ( ) 2.2

Where εR(t) is the reflected data bar strain history, L is the case length going before impact, and Co is the
unfathomable wavelength wave speed in the information weight bar, registered from simple vibrations

= √ 2.3

3. Design Approach

The design involves four stages of preparations. In stage1configuration of the event and transmitter bars is made.
In stage 2 configuration for the weight required for the system is made. In stage 3 configurations of the striker
assembling that gives the compressive wave is made and in stage 4selection of the instrumentation to recoup
legitimate data is done.

Stage 1:

The inspiration driving stage one is to arrange the scene and transmitter bars. The essential prerequisite in
sketching out the bars is to pick a broad Length to Breadth Proportion to ensure uni-axial wave multiplication all
through the bars. Likewise, as showed as one of the blueprint impediments, the total length of the gadget should not
surpass 2 m. To stay inside the 2 m length constraint, the length of the bars is to be 500mm. The broadness of the
bars is picked as 20 mm. The Length to Distance crosswise over Proportion of the bars is figured as one which
ensures the uni-axiality of the system.

Stage 2:

The second stage is to choose the pressure required for the system. Here it contains a weight source, and striker
put together. The cove of the striker is joined to the pressure source, which supplies pneumatic power. The
pressurized air overcoming the sound pushes the striker shot through the striker chamber. The striker shot animates
inside the barrel until it reaches the end of the chamber. Presently, the striker shot impacts the event bar making a
compressive stress wave, which multiplies through the case. The uneasiness wave encountering the illustration
causes quick twisting in the case. The speedier the striker shot impacts the event bar, the higher the strain rate the
case encounters. Consequently, the strain rate in the case is a segment of the striker speed at this moment of impact.
The striker rate is essentially dependent upon the striker expanding speed and the length of the striker chamber. The
striker expanding pace is delivered by the pneumatic power supplied by the weight source. Growing the pressure
manufactures the striker expanding speed provoking higher speed at this moment of impact, which implies higher
strain rate in the case. In like manner, the higher the weight at the delta of the striker gets together, the higher the
strain rate in the illustration. It should in like manner be seen that the length of the striker barrel is a crucial variable.
 Sudheera et al. /Materials Today: Proceedings 5 (2018) 2824–2829 2827

A more drawn out chamber gives more partition to the striker shot to stimulate and accomplish higher speed at this
moment of impact provoking higher strain rate in the case. Inside this basic inspiration driving framework stage is to
determine the weight anticipated that would deliver the looked for strain rate as demonstrated as one of the design
needs.

Stage 3:

The explanation behind this stage is to arrange the striker gathering which addresses the striker get together. The
bay is associated with the weight source, which supplies pneumatic anxiety to the social gathering. The air entering
through the sound pushes against the surface of the striker shot that causes the striker shot to enliven along the steel
chamber until it accomplishes and reaches the end of the barrel. The striker shot hits the scene bar first with its tinier
expansiveness achieving an impact on the event bar. Exactly when the striker leaves the barrel again it is installed
into the barrel physically.

Stage 4:

The explanation behind this stage is to pick the instrumentation to be executed in the gadget with the finished
objective of estimation. Prosig data acquiring structure is used close by strain gages that are mounted on the event
bar and transmitter bar. The strain gages picked are particularly correct for static and component estimation. The
strain gages are in like manner versatile and mechanically strong. They are furthermore operable for wide extents of
temperature. Prosig data securing system is both an un-rivalled and negligible exertion association stage for different
applications. This system is by and large used as a piece of auto, flight, and other mechanical testing and machine
checking strain gages. LabVIEW writing computer programs was used to examine, store and recoup strain data.
Gathered perspective of split Hopkinson pressure bar parts planned. A modelled image of the Split Hopkinson
Pressure Bar with different stages is shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 Parts of Hopkinson bar shown mechanically arranged

4. Parts of Hopkinson bar Mechanical assembly

In general all of the compressive split Hopkinson weight bar mechanical assemblies has the same parts as shown
in Fig. 3. They incorporate an effect bar for the most part impelled by a gas chamber, an occurrence bar and
transmitter bar, strain transducers with sign conditioners, and a method for computerized stockpiling [3].

The pressure bars are typically mad of gentle steel [6, 3]. A few orientations bolster the pressure bars, permitting
it to slide unreservedly and to evacuate any twisting waves because of an effect. Strain gages mounted to the weight
bars react to the prompt strain. Information obtaining system records these strain signals. Numerous elements impact
the fitting determination of the different segments in the SHPB test.
2828 Sudheera et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 5 (2018) 2824–2829

Fig.3 Common compressive split Hopkinson bar mechanical assembly

To accomplish high strain rates it might require diminishing the bar's cross sectional region, and importantly
measurement. It is regularly attractive to have a few diverse weight bars, each suited for testing materials in a
specific scope of strain rate and strain. Picking a fitting length for the bars requires that two conditions be met:

1. Length-to-measurement proportion meets necessities for one-dimensional engendering hypothesis

2. Length of bar is at any rate twice that of the compressive heartbeat created amid effect

It is proposed that the bar have a length-to-distance across proportion of no less than ten. The length of the weight
bar influences the amount of strain a specimen may see, since strain is identified with the aggregate heartbeat term,
which is straightforwardly identified with the length of the weight bar. To gauge the episode and reflected heartbeats
autonomously requires that the bar length surpass double the length of the effect beat.

The configuration needs are as per the following:

• The mis-shapening and wave spread ought to be uniform and uni-axial so that the strain rate and compressive
anxiety wave could be resolved precisely in view of the procedure presented by Kolsky [4].
• The most extreme strain rate of 5000 for every second should be accomplished by the contraption.
• For our calculated outline of split Hopkinson pressure bar,the contraption size ought to be constrained to 2
meters long.
• As per the counts for the speed of 12 meter for each sec, pressure obtained is around 1 bar.

Geometry assumes a noteworthy part in figuring out if a wave front can be portrayed by one variable or not. As
was displayed in the past area, the bar length-to-distance across proportion should be more noteworthy than ten. The
most imperative test variable impacting the way of wave engendering is bar arrangement. On the off chance that the
striker bar affects the occurrence bar at a point, a non-uniform wave circulation will exist over the bar cross
segment, and consequently a multi-dimensional strain field will come about. This likewise remains constant for the
arrangement of the episode bar with the transmitter bar. Via painstakingly adjusting the striker bar to the episode bar
such that the two stay in the same plane, a one-dimensional wave front can be achieved tentatively.
 Sudheera et al. /Materials Today: Proceedings 5 (2018) 2824–2829 2829

5. Conclusion

The principle motivation behind this test to decide dynamic anxiety at high strain rate for the given specimen
incorporates the point of interest study on split Hopkinson pressure bar device and different literary works on this
mechanical assembly have been examined. Planning of split Hopkinson weight bar device utilizing mechanical
programming and creation of outline parts have been manufactured utilizing machines. Whereas in stage 3, testing
of split Hopkinson weight bar mechanical assembly by shifting the procedure parameters and results are ascertained
by utilizing obtained values from instrumentation framework. Further a computerized weight gage can be utilized
for better advantageous reason along with solenoid valve rather than a manual valve.

The present setups have been intended for compressive waves, comparable activities might be characterized for
elastic mode or even torsional method of disfigurement. Another undertaking may continue to mechanize
information handling and examination. Different conditions must exist for the specimen under scrutiny to twist
homogeneously.

Acknowledgements

One of the authors would like to thank to TEQIP (1.2.1), Centre of Excellence (CoE), B.M.S College of
Engineering, Bengaluru for the continuous support in his Post Graduate Studies. He would also like to thank
National Aerospace Laboratories, Bengaluru for providing an opportunity to carry out internship and project work.

References

[1] Davies, R. M., (1948)‘A critical study of the Hopkinson pressure bar’, phil. Trans. R. Soc., A240, pp.375-457.
[2] Kolsky, H., (1963).‘Stress waves in solids.’ Dover publication.
[3] Advancements in the Split Hopkinson Bar Test, Kaiser, Michael Adam, pg 61-62, http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-41998-
18465/unrestricted/ETD.pdf
[4] H. Kolsky, An investigation of the mechanical properties of materials at very high strain rates of loading, Proceedings of the Royal
Society of London B62 (1949) 676-700
[5] Song, B., Chen, W., Split Hopkinson pressure bar techniques for characterizing soft materials. Latin Amer. J. Solids Struct. 2, 113-152 (2005)
[6] Nemat-Nasser et al. (1991) ‘Hopkinson bar techniques for dynamic recovery experimants.’ Proc. Royal Soc. Lond. A-435, pp.371-91