A DYNAMIC INDENTATION TECHNIQUE FOR THE CHARACTERIZATION OF THE HIGH-STRAIN RATE PLASTIC-FLOW BEHAVIOR OF DUCTILE METALS AND ALLOYS

THE objective of the paper is to describe a dynamic indentation (DI) technique suitable for the determination of the high strain rate flow behaviour of ductile metals and alloys and illustrate its use by characterizing the high strain rate flow behaviour of iron and OFHC copper. The DI technique is first described in detail and the dynamic hardness-strain data of iron and copper obtained using the technique is presented. It is also demonstrated that it is a suitable technique for characterizing the high strain rate flow behaviour as long as certain validity conditions are met. It is shown that these validity conditions are fully met in the case of copper and at low strain levels in iron. The reliability of the DI technique is finally demonstrated by comparing the present data with the literature data on similar materials and finally a critique of the DI technique is provided.