In situ damage assessment using synchrotron X-rays in materials loaded by a Hopkinson bar

Split Hopkinson or Kolsky bars are common high-rate characterization tools for dynamic mechanical behaviour of materials. Stress–strain responses averaged over specimen volume are obtained as a function of strain rate. Specimen deformation histories can be monitored by high-speed imaging on the surface. It has not been possible to track the damage initiation and evolution during the dynamic deformation inside specimens except for a few transparent materials. In this study, we integrated Hopkinson compression/tension bars with high-speed X-ray imaging capabilities. The damage history in a dynamically deforming specimen was monitored in situ using synchrotron radiation via X-ray phase contrast imaging. The effectiveness of the novel union between these two powerful techniques, which opens a new angle for data acquisition in dynamic experiments, is demonstrated by a series of dynamic experiments on a variety of material systems, including particle interaction in granular materials, glass impact cracking, single crystal silicon tensile failure and ligament–bone junction damage.