Adiabatic shear failure under biaxial dynamic compression/shear loading.

A new combined compression (shear testing method was developed in order to study the propensity of metallic materials to adiabatic shear failure under multiaxial stresses. The combined simultaneous loading is applied by a drop weight hammer to a cylindrical specimen which has its axis inclined to the loading axis. The results for titanium and tungsten alloys show a strong sensitivity of the onset of adiabatic shear failure which is promoted under small amounts of shear component to the main compression stress. The results are characterized and compared with predictions using a finite element method analysis.