A testing technique to investigate the tensile behavior of propellant representative material

Abstract

Propellants are energetic materials abundantly used to generate the propulsion of rockets, projectiles, or other objects. A wide range of stress-state and strain-rate has to be considered in view of predicting the mechanical behaviour of this material over its different life cycles. Propellant materials are usually studied through the use of propellant representative materials (PRM) when studied in a university laboratory. In the present work an experimental device was developed to investigate the dynamic tensile response of a PRM material. This device is based on the use of a pendulum that is employed to dynamically load the PRM sample on one end. The sample is attached to an instrumented Hopkinson bar on the other end. The data processing of Hopkinson bar point measurements combined to DIC (digital-imagecorrelation) measurements allows the stress and strain levels in the sample to be characterised. Finally these experimental results can be used to enhance the constitutive modelling of PRM materials.