Design of a novel high-speed tensile method for testing the high strain rate tensile behavior of aluminum alloys.

The article focuses on a novel magnetic pulse-driven method for high-strain rate tensile testing of aluminum alloys, specifically AA7075, addressing limitations of traditional testing techniques like the Split Hopkinson Tension Bar (SHTB). This method employs a magnetic pulse driver (MPD) powered by a pulse current generator (PCG) to produce fast-rising, adjustable stress pulses that induce uniaxial tensile deformation at strain rates between 1000 and 3000 s⁻¹, with strain rates rapidly reaching and maintaining target values. Stress and strain measurements are obtained non-contact via high-speed cameras combined with digital image correlation (DIC) technology, enabling accurate stress–strain curve determination while avoiding electromagnetic interference and errors from specimen fixation or stress wave overlap common in SHTB tests. Finite element simulations using LS-DYNA corroborate experimental results, demonstrating good agreement in strain and strain rate distributions, and validating the method’s effectiveness for characterizing high-strain rate mechanical behavior relevant to electromagnetic launch systems.