Mechanical behavior of sand under high pressure and high strain rate

Abstract

Characterizing of the mechanical behavior of sand under impact loading is necessary to estimate the power of explosive mines. Using Hopkinson pressure bars for its characterization only low and limited pressures can be applied. Therefore the experiments were performed on a high energy drop weight machine, which produces a high pressure up to several GPa much closer to real explosive processes. The triaxial stress state was realized within a thick steel ring. Measurements of forces and displacement of the punch and also the tangential strain of the ring were performed and used for the analysis of stresses. The influence of water contents and compaction of sand were investigated. Constitutive equations were derived for the different conditions.