Photo of trans-granular failure after ceramic armor is subjected to dynamic compression.
Dr. Leslie Lamberson, ME Associate Professor and recent Academic Management Institute graduate, was awarded an Office of Naval Research (ONR) grant to build a visualization facility that will enable researchers to characterize deformation and identify failure mechanisms of next-generation structural and armor materials. This ONR-funded facility will extend Lamberson’s current laboratory capabilities that examine high-rate loading under impact. The new equipment will allow researchers to capture high-speed impact scenarios into quantified visual outcomes at the sub-microsecond time scale. This new experimental facility will be comprised of unique light gas accelerators, an ultra-high-speed camera, and a high-performance data acquisition system. The capabilities of this new set-up will allow for new insights on light-weight armor and terminal ballistics. The facility will be used to directly visualize and quantify dynamic deformation, fracture and fragmentation mechanisms in order to develop improved physics-based microstructural models of armor materials. The facility will also provide collaborative research opportunities between undergraduates, graduates, and postdocs in high-strain-rate materials research.