The Expanding Shell Test: Numerical Simulation of the Experiment

The behavior of materials at very high strain rates is a broad field of investigation. One of the major problem is to impose a well known velocity and stress loading. The expanding shell, because of its ability to impose a sudden loading with no ulterior stress, has been retained to analyze the mechanical behavior of several metals through the free flight of a deforming structure. We perform several simulations on various metals in order to evaluate the strain rates and velocity in the sample. A second step consists in interpreting experimental data obtained on these metals.