Failure mode transition in ceramics under dynamic multiaxial compression

An experimental technique based on the Kolsky pressure bar has been developed to investigate the behavior of ceramics under dynamic multiaxial compression. Experimental results for aluminum nitride (AlN), together with data available in the literature, indicate that a Mohr-Coulomb criterion and the Johnson–Holmquist model fit the experimental data for failure in a brittle manner, whereas the ceramic material exhibited pressure insensitive plastic flow at high pressures. A failure surface is constructed which represents the material failure behavior, including brittle failure, brittle/ductile transition and plastic flow, under various pressures. The effect of various material properties on the failure behavior was investigated. The Poisson's ratio is found to be a measure of brittleness for ceramic materials with low spall strength under shock wave loading conditions. Lower value of Poisson's ratio indicates that the material will fail in a brittle manner through axial splitting even under uniaxial strain loading; whereas materials with higher Poisson's ratio may be expected to deform plastically beyond the Hugoniot Elastic Limit (HEL). The applicability of the proposed failure surface to a range of ceramics is explored and the limitations of the model are outlined.