Experimental Methods for Characterizing Dynamic Response of Soft Materials

Soft materials are widely used in applications subjected to impact loading but are less well characterized in terms of their constitutive behavior under high-rate loading conditions. A variety of modified Kolsky bar methods have been developed recently to obtain high-fidelity dynamic mechanical responses of soft materials. This article briefly summarizes major issues associated with the application of Kolsky bars in soft-material characterization, including weak transmitted signals, uniform loading on the specimen, constant strain rate deformation, intermediate strain rate experiments, specimen gripping methods, and inertia effects. Experimental remedies and remaining challenges are presented to address each of the issues encountered. Recent advances in real-time visualization of dynamic deformation and damage processes are also discussed. © 2016, Society for Experimental Mechanics, Inc.