Relation between strain hardening of steel and critical impact velocity in tension

In the present paper, a numerical study on the influence of strain hardening on the Critical Impact Velocity (CIV) in tension is conducted. Finite element code ABAQUS/Explicit is used to carry out numerical simulations of dynamic tension tests in a wide range of impact velocities up to that corresponding to the CIV. The constitutive relation due to Rusinek and Klepaczko (2001) has been used to define the material behaviour. Strain hardening parameters of the RK model were varied during the simulations. Numerical results are compared with those obtained from the analytical description of CIV proposed by Klepaczko (2005). Satisfactory agreement is found between numerical and analytical approaches. The analysis allows for a better understanding of the causes responsible of the CIV appearance.