Paper No; 76-1 jat-FF The Effect of Strain Rate Upon the Bending Behavior of Materials R. G. DAVIES CL MAGEE tests of ‘The mazimum loads eustainable in both four-point bending and prebent hinge collapse ‘eral mavzrials hove been determined a crosshead alee ‘from 4.2 X 10-* mm/s to 42 m/s (10-10 in,/min). All the materiale exhibit a logarithmic de- pendence of fw etress on crosshead rate; this dependence ie conestent with that pre= Piowsly repeted for tensile defarmation, Although there are some minor differences fn the dynamic sires factors obtained bythe Bending ond tensile methods, all the methods rank the materials tx the same order. Thus, for materiale evaluation the most con tweniant leat method, which is usually the tensile tes, can be chosen. For more comple Toaking geometric’ than considered here, scale model testing would yield the most reliable results, 1 Introduction ‘The design of vehicles for improved impsct reaponso, in par- ticular the low-speed (8 km/h or 5 mph) nodamage behavior and higher speed (48 lam/h or 80 mph) survivability require iments, can be served by inerensed L:owledge of material be- hhovior at higher stnin rates. Ina previous paper (tthe effects of strain rate ‘yp to 10%/s) upon the tensile deformation and strength of a series of steels, aluminum alloys, and fiber reine forcod plastiss wore reported,” Tt is reeognired, however, thet in ‘vehicular collisions, simple tensile deformation is rately encoun- tered, and bending and eoraplex collapse of structures is usually involved, While tele tents are easier to perform and interpret thas bonding tests, itis not clearly established that materils respond to high strain rates in the same way in bending as in tension, For example, we tote that outer and inner fiber strains difer and thus bending at any velocity involves various strain rates. "Therefore the aim ofthe presen investigation was to compare tho response of certain materials to strain rate in tension and bending. ‘Table 1 liste the materials tasted: tensile results were reported previously [1]. Two forms of bend testing were used (2). standard four-point bending and (2) collapse of prebent hinge 2. Experimental Procedure ‘The devices used in the four-point bending and the prebent Journal of Engineering Materials and Technology binge collapco experiments are shown in Figs. 1 and 2, reapctives ly; in both fixtures test specimens are in place, | Sbw-spoad testing (crosshead rates < 8.4 ram/s (2 in./tnin)) was done in fn Tnstron testing machine, while high-speed testing (up to 21 m/s (5 X 10 ja,/min)) was accomplished on a MTS hydraulic test muchine, Al sta were performed st room temperature Specimens for both the four-point bendiag sud the prebent Inge testa were prepared from sheet malarial 1.25 ram (05 i.) thick; for the four-point bending the specimens were 95.5 mm (3/4 jn.) long by 9 mam (3/4 In.) wide, while for tho prebent Inge tests the epecimens wore 25. um (L ia.) wide. ‘The hinge specimens were preformed in» mandrel so that the distance Between compression points wes 25. mm (1 fn,), as was the distance of the binge point co the compression axis. Tt was not slays possible to test che hinges as formed due to either eraccing (alloy 7075.76) or exirome bardening (stainless steels) during the preforming: in these casos the alloys wore heat treated to the desired condition ster forming th hinge. ‘At eroeshead rates in etcens of 042°m/s (1000 in./miu), “ringing” oosare du to the rellection of elastic stross waves in the saniple test fiatine, and machine; thie is manifest as oseilla- tions inthe strese-train curve which prevent an accurate measure of the initial portion of the load-defction curve from being ‘obtained, ‘The “ringing” decays rapidly 20 that itis posible to fobsain a true load moasuremaat at higher strains. All of tho materials tested exhibited a maximum in their load deflection curves as showa in Figs. snd 4 for the four-point bending ond ‘the prebent hinge collapse, respectively. For the hinge configura- tion, the shape of the Toad-deflection curve varied with material due to changes in the Volume of material underroing plastic strnin; however, all the curves showed @ matimum. Since from ‘energy absorption considerations we are intersted inthe stresses at large deformations, the maximum load was taken asa raeasure a: “ype of Material : SS Carbon Steak 7 ee PGi 010 ‘High Strength, Bm Alloy Steals Ysa YST80 Stainless Stels "302 510 ‘Aluminum AUloys "aoe fis Riborglass Fig.2. Losd-dotaction curve tor four-point be Fig.1, Photon Fig.4 Loadedetiecton curve of tho strength of the material, The tonsils date used for com ‘vison purposes are based upon the ultimate tensile strength, that is, tho maximum tensile load observed. For the goomotry of the present four-bending fixture, the loud () was convert to stress (¢) by the equation a ie Fig:2-Testrig and specimen for prebent hinge tests 2 Transactions of the ASMEwhere dis the width and dis the thiekness ofthe specimens. No attempt was made to obtain a stres measurement forthe prebent Iinge configuration sinco the main interest was the chango of collapse losd with crosshead rate, ‘To obtain an estimate of the strain rates to which the preboat binge and four-point beading specimens were being subjectod, certain assumptions ware made, For the binge it was sssumed that the collapse is {rom the postion indicated by the dottad line in Fig. § to the fully loved solid line and also tht all of the strain js accommodated in the shaded area. measure of the ‘rain, ¢,ean be obtained from the change ‘a ongth A to 4*B* ove vit « oat where isthe thickness ofthe shee, ‘Thus the strain rate, é, is (e/l)- # where fis the distance totmaon the points where the load is applied snd # i the rate of losing of the loading points (i, crosshead rte), Tn the pretent situation with 4 = 254 mm (I in.), the strain rate 51.85 X 10°F mm (04 in!) X crosshead eate; however, this i « maximum value since, as can be seen from Fig. 2, the sample does not have the idelived shape and the strsin will aot be as localized a= assumed. The localization of tho stein will ddopend upon the strain hardening rate of the matesal; » high strain hardening rate will result in the strain being spread over 8 lnrger volume, For the four-point bending experiments the maximum tensile strain rate (for elascic deformations and small defections) is found to bo (3) bee £0) (FR) ‘wore L isthe distance betwoon tho outer points, a the distance between the nar points, ¢ the specimen thickness, and * the eroshesd rato. For the present geometry the strain rate is ~ L2 x 10% mmc (0.08 int) X erosshead rate, Thus, for both configurations the strain rata i lower st a ven crosshead rate ‘thin it was for our provions 254 sam (1 in gaye length tsaile samples whore é = 4.1 X 10-¥ mm (4.0 in) X 4, is obvious uncertainty ae to the validity of the ‘usd in the foregoing, our results will bo simply reported 8s & faneon of erosshend rate, Sines in an engineering sense we ard interested in changes in loud with changes in tasting peed, this is suficient. Moreover, for thoso concerned with the Journal of Engineering Materials and Technology = toe i OF Caos mate nse Imam strect versus crosshead rate during fourpolnt ot hot rolled Tio ond ne Lt (psa ing four-point ‘8 relationship of stress to strain rate, we note that as fong as the results obey a semilogarithmic reletionship and the etruin harden ing rate is approximately independent of strain rate, tho stash "ato fora given strait-rate ratio willbe identical tothe load ratio for aa equivstent change in erosbead rate 3. Results (2) Fou-Peint Jn Figs. 6-10 tho mariana stress “usta neta msi st a he ge Lod be ‘tacly Ue dented an mason Some! steer OT ote pee ae saa z Fg. 4 Maximum str veraue ersshoad rate 4 Elna of ol ane santos sects