ABSTRACT
Concrete is used worldwide as a construction material utilized in civil and defense engineering structures due to its high compressive strength. For better protection against high-rate loadings, it is essential to understand the dynamic material properties of concrete for a more reliable design of concrete structures against impact or blast. Dynamic compressive strength of concrete material is obtained by the split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) technique. It has been used widely to measure the dynamic strength enhancement of materials at high strain rates. The present research examines the application of 76 mm diameter SHPB to determine the dynamic strength of concrete under compressive loading. This study aims to understand the strain rate effect on the 28 days of compressive strength of 30 MPa concrete using SHPB test setup. The behavior of concrete at strain rates of the order of 100–382/s is studied experimentally. The empirical equation is proposed for computing the DIF (dynamic increase factor) for the M30 grade of concrete.
