Dynamic Characterization Methods for Composite Materials Systems

A suite of novel dynamic characterization experiments using non-destructive methods and destructive dynamic recovery methods, the latter which we believe is capable of safely and accurately fracturing structural reactive materials (SRMs) under controlled loads and rates of deformation, has been developed and demonstrated for composite material systems fabricated using hot-isostatic pressing (HIP). The HIP composite compacts are generated from a metal powder mixture. Data characterizing the materials strength, rheology, and fragmentation properties can be acquired from this suite of experiments. The composite material systems tested in a feasibility study exhibited some behaviors similar to metals, like plasticity, strain-hardening, and strain-softening. The material also exhibited quasi-brittle behaviors, including dilation, as well as pressure and rate sensitivities, when subjected to very large compressive deformations or tensile/extension loads. To capture the metallic and quasi-brittle behavior observed in such experiments, a material model based in metal plasticity, augmented with a quasi-brittle formulation, is formulated to be capable of predicting both material behaviors.