Precompression tensile kolsky bar system

A dynamic tensile loading method, comprising:

• connecting an incident bar and a transmission bar on opposite sides of a specimen which is coaxial with the incident bar and the transmission bar along a longitudinal axis to be loaded in a direction along the longitudinal axis;
• connecting a loading gun to the incident bar, the loading gun having a gun barrel and a striker bar inside the gun barrel which are coaxial with the incident bar, the gun barrel being coupled to the incident bar, the incident bar being disposed between the gun barrel and the specimen;
• mounting a reaction mass on a platform;
• connecting a reaction spring between the gun barrel and the reaction mass;
• applying a quasi-static precompressive load to the specimen in the direction along the longitudinal axis via the transmission bar to provide a precompressed specimen;
• and
• propelling the striker bar in a direction from the incident bar to the reaction spring to strike and compress the reaction spring to apply a dynamic tensile load on the specimen in the direction along the longitudinal axis.

A loading apparatus comprising:

• an incident bar and a transmission bar coaxial with a specimen along a longitudinal axis to be loaded in a direction along the longitudinal axis, the incident bar and the transmission bar being coupled to the specimen on opposite sides of the specimen;
• a loading gun having a gun barrel and a striker bar inside the gun barrel which are coaxial with the incident bar, the gun barrel being coupled to the incident bar, the incident bar being disposed between the gun barrel and the specimen;
• a reaction mass;
• means coupled to the reaction mass for receiving impact by the striker bar and, in response thereto, generating an incident pulse in the incident bar and transmit the incident pulse to apply a dynamic tensile load on the specimen;
• and
• a precompression device coupled to the transmission bar which is disposed between the specimen and the precompression device, the precompression device configured to apply a quasi-static precompressive load on the specimen in the direction along the longitudinal axis via the transmission bar prior to propelling the striker bar to the means to apply the dynamic tensile load on the specimen.