Normal and Transverse Displacement Interferometers Applied to Small Diameter Kolsky Bars

For Kolsky bar testing beyond strain-rates of 10,000/s, it is useful to employ bars with diameters of only a few millimeters or less. Furthermore, very small (sub-millimeter) systems are compatible with micron-sized specimens, to be used, for example, for the determination of mesoscale properties. However, at these sizes, traditional strain-gage measurements of the longitudinal waves within the bars become impractical. In this paper we describe the application of optical measurement techniques to two Kolsky bars, with 3.2 and 1.6 mm diameters. A transverse displacement interferometer is used to measure the displacement of the mid-point of the incident bar and provide measurements of the incident and reflected pulses. Similarly, a normal displacement interferometer is used to measure the displacement of the free-end of the transmitter bar and provide a measurement of the transmitted pulse. The new methods are used to characterize the behavior of 6061-T6 aluminum at rates greater than 100,000/s. The feasibility of application to smaller bars is also discussed.