Measurement of Strain Rate Sensitivity at High Strain Rates with Instrumented Indentation Impact Testing

Instrumented indentation impact testing offers a fast and easy way to measure the mechanical properties of materials at high strain rates while using a minimal amount of material. In this presentation, the challenges and some solutions of measuring indentation load-depth curves from impact tests are presented. Results obtained from impact tests and low constant strain rate tests on single crystal tungsten and polycrystalline tungsten are presented over 10-1 to 103 s-1 range to demonstrate the capabilities of impact testing. Indentation pile-up in tungsten and its dependence on indentation strain rate is also discussed.