Dynamic flexural strength of Aluminosilicate glass with a perspective of impulsive and quasi-impulsive responses: An experimental–numerical coupled evaluation

The flexural strength of glass is a critical design parameter for applications encountering impact loadings. However, the micro defects, specimen geometry, loading rate, and load transformation from a quasi-dynamic to quasi-impulsive state may influence the measurement accuracy. Due to the stochastic and amorphous nature of the material, an accurate determination of the flexural strength remains a challenge. In this two-fold study, a coupled experimental–numerical strategy was devised to evaluate the dynamic flexural strength. In the first phase, three-point bending experiments were conducted on a novel “Electromagnetic Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (ESHPB)”. The incident stress signal and fracture time were recorded from experimental data, while the flexural strength was indirectly computed from a numerical algorithm. A quantitative comparison of the flexural strength with those in existing literature established the accuracy of the proposed methodology. Results of the study indicate that the specimen response became independent of the support conditions under impulsive loading. That being said, the specimen behaved like it had an infinite span length, and the measured flexural strength remained the same whether the specimen was supported or not. Besides, the specimen also maintained contact at the interfaces of the incident bar and fixture supports for the entire loading duration. In the second part of this study, the computed flexural strength was used to calibrate the existing JH-2 model. Numerical prediction of the damage propagation corroborated with that obtained from reprography images, though qualitatively. This work presents a precise and robust methodology to determine the dynamic flexural strength of brittle ceramics like Aluminosilicate glass over traditional experimental procedures to facilitate its adoption.