Soft elastomeric materials that mimic real soft human tissues are sought to provide realistic experimental devices to simulate the human body's response to blast loading to aid the development of more effective protective equipment. The dynamic mechanical behavior of these materials is often measured using a Kolsky bar because it can achieve both the high strain rates (>100 s−1) and the large strains (>20%) that prevail in blast scenarios. Obtaining valid results is challenging, however, due to poor dynamic equilibrium, friction, and inertial effects. To avoid these difficulties, an inverse method was employed to determine the dynamic response of a soft, prospective biomimetic elastomer using Kolsky bar tests coupled with high-speed 3D digital image correlation. Individual tests were modeled using finite elements, and the dynamic stiffness of the elastomer was identified by matching the simulation results with test data using numerical optimization. Using this method, the average dynamic response was found to be nearly equivalent to the quasi-static response measured with stress–strain curves at compressive strains up to 60%, with an uncertainty of ±18%. Moreover, the behavior was consistent with the results in stress relaxation experiments and oscillatory tests although the latter were performed at lower strain levels.

Stereoscopic digital image correlation (DIC) is used to measure the shape evolution of a soft, transparent thermoplastic elastomer subject to a high strain rate compression test performed using a Kolsky bar. Rather than using the usual Kolsky bar wave analysis methods to determine the specimen response, however, the response is instead determined by an inverse method. The test is modeled using finite elements, and the elastomer stiffness giving the best match with the shape and force history data is identified by performing iterative simulations. The advantage of this approach is that force equilibrium in the specimen is not required, and friction effects, which are difficult to eliminate experimentally, can be accounted for. The thermoplastic is modeled as a hyperelastic material, and the identified dynamic compressive (non-linear) stiffness is compared to its quasi-static compressive (non-linear) stiffness to determine rate sensitivity.