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The dynamic stress-strain characteristics of magnesium alloys have not been clarified sufficiently. Thus, the study investigated both the compressive and tensile dynamic stress-strain characteristics of representative magnesium alloys: AZ61A-F, ZK60A-T5 and AZ31B-F at wide strain rate and temperature ranges. About the strain rate dependency, the dynamic stresses are higher than the static ones under both compressive and tensile loads at elevated temperatures; however the dynamic stress-strain relations change slightly in the dynamic strain rate range. Thus, the magnesium alloys has little strain rate dependence. However, the elongation of the dynamic stress-strain relations under tensile load tends to be larger than that of static one. About the temperature dependency, the yield and flow stresses of the investigated magnesium alloys under compressive load decrease abruptly at temperatures higher than about 600 K in the wide strain rate range. Meanwhile, the ones under tensile load decrease with the temperature more gently. Totally, the magnesium alloys exhibit low temperature dependence. Furthermore, as well known, the yield stresses caused under the tensile load exhibit about twice as high as those under compressive load. This study verified that such a characteristic can be observed over a wide strain rate and temperature ranges.

This study carried out a series of experiments viz. impact tests (drop weight & Charpy) and hardness tests after various heat treatments. The fractography observation on normal roll shell steel (NRS), abnormal roll shell steel (ARS), and S25C steel were carried out as well to analyze the cause of brittle fractures and damages in the roll shell steel. The optimal tempering temperature has been characterized for ARS and NRS.

Impact testing is an effective means of identifying structural flexibility. However, most flexibility identification methods have strict requirements on the type of input forces. For instance, methods operated in the frequency domain may generate incorrect flexibility identification results when double or multiple clicks occur in an impact test. This article proposes a method to estimate the structural modal scaling coefficients and flexibility characteristics using a subspace identification algorithm in the time domain. The advantage of the proposed method is that it adapts to the input force type and thus has the potential to be widely used in engineering practice. Numerical and experimental examples are presented to illustrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method.

The empirical formulas of dynamic amplification factor (DAF) specified in current bridge codes only consider the span or fundamental frequency of reinforced concrete (RC) girders in highway. Although investigations have been carried out on different bridges with considering the road roughness, vehicle–bridge interactions and travelling velocity, but most of them have been done numerically. In this study, experimental study of DAF was carried out on three simple-supported RC beams with different fundamental frequencies and different damage stages, i.e. without damage, cracked and yielded. Impulse hammer with four hammer heads of different hardness, i.e. black, red, green and brown, were used to generate impact forces with increasing duration. The impact tests were first carried out on the RC beams without any damage by impact hammer with different hammer heads. Then the RC beams were loaded by a concentrated static force at the mid-span to crack. Impact tests with different hammer heads were repeated on the cracked RC beams. Finally, the cracked beams were further loaded by a concentrated static force to yield of the longitudinal reinforcement. The impact tests were repeated on the yielded beams again. Load cells installed at the supports of the RC beams were used to measure the reaction force generated by the hammer, then DAF was calculated directly by dividing the peak reaction force with the peak impact force. Data obtained from tests, theoretical analysis and specification in codes were compared to examine the DAFs. Results show that the ratio of duration of the impact force and the period of the beams performed a significant effect on the DAFs of the beams.