Development of a test specimen carrier for the Taylor anvil test using 3D additive printing technology

Dynamic material testing is increasingly crucial for establishing a comprehensive description of material models. One of the primary testing methods is the Taylor Anvil Test (TAT). In this test, strain rates of up to 10⁵ s⁻¹ can be achieved at impact speeds of 250 m/s. Proper evaluation of a specific material specimen in this test relies on delivering the test specimen to the impact point both centrally and perpendicularly, as well as at the moment of reaching the maximum impact speed. This Article addresses the development of a new carrier for round test specimens manufactured using additive 3D printing technology from a polyactide polymer adapted for the TAT device with a calibre of 17 mm. The Article closely examines the influence of geometric parameters of the carrier itself, optimized using the Ansys Fluid Flow software, with a focus on internal ballistics, particularly to achieve perpendicular impact and maximum impact speed without causing the destruction of the carrier. A new type of test carrier was designed and subsequently tested for round test specimens made of the aluminium alloy Al 2024-T3, evaluating both the impact speeds of the carrier under identical initiation pressure parameters in the filling chamber and the impact speed parameters of the specimen, respectively, the strain rate of the test specimen.