Thumbnail Image
Publication

Design and fabrication of a miniature Kolsky bar system

Beaver, Eliot
; 
Walter, Graham
; 
Lamberson, Leslie
Citations
Altmetric:
Advisor
Editor
Date
Date Issued
2026-04
Date Submitted
Keywords
Collections
2026 Spring Undergraduate Research Symposium
Show all metadata
Files
Thumbnail Image
Beaver_Eliot_UGRS2026.pdf
Adobe PDF, 1.97 MB
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
URI
https://hdl.handle.net/11124/182004
 https://doi.org/10.25676/11124/182004
Embargo Expires
Abstract
The Kolsky bar, or split-Hopkinson pressure bar, is a widely used technique to characterize materials at high strain rates in the range of 10²–10⁴ s⁻¹. Miniaturized systems not only extend experimental access to higher strain-rate regimes (10⁴–10⁵ s⁻¹), but also make it possible to test very small specimens and integrate with advanced diagnostics such as highspeed X-ray imaging at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS). In this project, we designed and built a miniature Kolsky bar for the X-STRM Lab at Colorado School of Mines, while also collaborating with researchers at Cornell University to develop and integrate a similar system with the CHESS beamline. A central challenge of this integration is synchronizing the microsecond-scale stress wave propagation within the Kolsky bar with the timing of the synchrotron X-ray pulses to enable time-resolved, in situ measurements during dynamic loading. The setup consists of precision-ground incident and transmission bars, a striker bar launched by a gas gun, and a momentum trap. Strain gauges measure the stress waves traveling through the bars, which are then used to calculate the stress–strain response of the specimen under compression. When combined with synchrotron X-ray diagnostics at CHESS, this system enables simultaneous measurement of dynamic mechanical response and evolving microstructural features such as lattice strain and phase changes. These capabilities provide new opportunities for studying the dynamic behavior of materials used in protective systems including helmets, armor, and spacecraft shielding, while also establishing a pathway for routine high strain-rate experiments at synchrotron facilities.
Associated Publications
Rights
Copyright of the original work is retained by the author.
Embedded videos