The flying wedge: A method for high-strain-rate tensile testing. Part 1. Reasons for its development and general description

The flying wedge is a dynamic tensile testing facility which is capable of generating strain rates from around 102 s−1 up to in excess of 104 s−1. While the wedge concept was originally conceived as stop-gap method of making use of an existing facility, it was recognised that such an arrangement offered the advantage of simultaneously applied, true tensile loading at both ends of a test piece. The device has provided a valuable facility for conducting tests to explore the effects of strain rate, state-of-stress and temperature on the deformation and fracture of ductile materials and for the validation of DYNA codes for use in this area.