Improved Load Duration in Split Hopkinson (Kolsky) Bar Technique Using a Serpentine Type Striker Bar

This paper presents a new design of a striker bar to be used with a split Hopkinson pressure bar that utilizes the idea of a serpentine transmitted bar with threaded joints. The new striker bar provides longer pulse lengths without having to use a longer striker bar. Explicit finite element simulations are used in conjunction with experimental results to validate the design. The serpentine striker bar is then used to test ZEK100 magnesium in high rate compression tests, and the results are compared to low rate compression data and high rate compression data obtained using a traditional striker bar of equivalent pulse length. The new serpentine striker bar design shows good agreement with traditional solid striker bars and, therefore, could be implemented into existing systems in order to obtain longer pulses.