Isolation of kinetic and spatial properties of uni-axial dynamic tensile loading of OFHC copper

Abstract

Materials performance is recognized as being central to many emergent technologies. Future technologies will place increasing demands on materials performance with respect to extremes in stress, strain, temperature, and pressure. In this study, the dynamic ductile damage evolution of OFHC Cu is explored as a test bed to understand the role of spatial effects due to loading profile and defect density as well as the role of the kinetics of tensile pulse evolution. Well-characterized OFHC Cu samples of 30 μm, 60 μm, 100 μm, and 200 μm grain sizes were subjected to plate impact uniaxial strain loading in spall geometry to produce early stage (incipient damage. Using 2D metallographic techniques, soft recovered samples were studied to statistically link mesoscale processes to continuum level observations of free surface particle velocity measured with VISAR. Based on these findings, mechanisms for the void nucleation/growth and coalescence are proposed. © Owned by the authors, 2012.