Instrumented anvil-on-rod impact experiments for validating constitutive strength model for simulating transient dynamic deformation response of metals

Instrumented anvil-on-rod impact experiments were performed to access the applicability of this approach for validating a constitutive strength model for dynamic, transient-state deformation and elastic–plastic wave interactions in vanadium, 21-6-9 stainless steel, titanium, and Ti–6Al–4V. In addition to soft-catching the impacted rod-shaped samples, their transient deformation states were captured by high-speed imaging, and velocity interferometry was used to record the sample back (free) surface velocity and monitor elastic–plastic wave interactions. Simulations utilizing AUTODYN-2D hydrocode with Steinberg–Guinan constitutive equation were used to generate simulated free surface velocity traces and final/transient deformation profiles for comparisons with experiments. The simulations were observed to under-predict the radial strain for bcc vanadium and fcc steel, but over-predict the radial strain for hcp titanium and Ti–6Al–4V. The correlations illustrate the applicability of the instrumented anvil-on-rod impact test as a method for providing robust model validation based on the entire deformation event, and not just the final deformed state.