Taylor Cylinder Testing of Anisotropic Materials Available to Purchase

Frequently, Taylor cylinder specimens are fabricated from rolled plate stock. The rolling process induces an anisotropic response in the cylinder upon impact. If the rolling and transverse directions can be clearly identified, then it is possible to fabricate the cylinders so that the longitudinal axis of the cylinder is aligned with either direction. The response of specimens fabricated in this way is reasonably uniform, in spite of the fact that the cross sections have an elliptical geometry. Earlier work [1] provided a modified one-dimensional analysis with which data can be reduced from anisotropic cylinder tests and dynamic stress estimates can be made. The purpose of this paper is to report the results of tests performed on specimens taken from rolled copper. The results show that the cross sections of the specimens are clearly uniform ellipses with the major and minor axes of the ellipse roughly constant along the shaft. Very satisfactory estimates of dynamic strength using a modified one-dimensional, strain rate dependent theory may then be made. Fabrication of cylinders from the plates that are not axially aligned to the rolling or transverse directions permits testing of the theory by comparing simulations of the response to actual impacts.