Fracture characteristics of three metals subjected to various strains, strain rates, temperatures and pressures

This paper considers fracture characteristics of OFHC copper, Armco iron and 4340 steel. The materials are subjected to torsion tests over a range of strain rates, Hopkinson bar tests over a range of temperatures, and quasi-static tensile tests with various notch geometries. A cumulative-damage fracture model is introduced which expresses the strain to fracture as a function of the strain rate, temperature and pressure. The model is evaluated by comparing computed results with cylinder impact tests and biaxial (torsion-tension) tests.