High strain rate responses of some metals and alloys using a plate impact driven ring expansion test (PIDRET)

A plate impact driven ring expansion test (PIDRET) has been developed to investigate the high strain rateresponse of metals and alloys under radial expansion. Combining photonic Doppler velocimetry (PDV) probesand ultra-high-speed cameras, it allows for measuring the radial expansion velocity of the ring and for recordingthe different stages of the ring deformation until necking and ultimate fragmentation. Four metallic materialswith different physical and mechanical properties are tested under the same loading conditions leading to strainrates around 10^4 s^1. The materials exhibit different responses in terms of deformation history and fracture. Acomparison is made on (i) the postmortem microstructure and ductility between low strain rate tension loadedspecimens and high-strain rate expansion loaded rings and (ii) numbers of necks and fragments betweenexperimental results and theoretical estimations.