Modelling split-Hopkinson pressure bar tests on quartz sand

FE modelling of a confined split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) test on dry quartz sand was carried out using LS-DYNA in order to assess whether Material Model 5 could replicate experimental results, which would enable a more detailed investigation of the stress state in SHPB specimen. Quasi-static test data was used to select the material model input, and the model SHPB was set up to replicate the experimental conditions. The results show that Material Model 5 replicates the volumetric response provided as input data, but fails to predict the shear response observed in the quasi-static experiments. This was found to be due to the model treating the shear modulus as a constant rather than it increasing with strain, a feature which makes the Material Model 5 unsuitable for modelling SHPB tests on sand.