| Abstract: | The tensile properties of a polymer‐bonded explosive (PBX) were systematically studied by using quasi‐static and dynamic experiments. A non‐linear constitutive relation was developed to describe the tensile behaviour of the PBX. The tensile properties of the PBX under different strain rates and temperatures were measured in quasi‐static tests. The tensile behaviour of the PBX was found to exhibit high strain rate and strong temperature dependence, attributable to the large fraction of the polymer binder. To obtain the rational dynamic tensile results, a modified split Hopkinson tensile bar (SHTB) setup was designed such that the specimens were in dynamic stress equilibrium and deformed homogeneously at nearly constant strain rates. To characterise the viscoelastic behaviour, the master modulus curve was derived from the tensile stress relaxation tests at different temperatures. The non‐linear constitutive model was implemented in ABAQUS to predict the tensile behaviour of the PBX. The computational results were found to be in good agreement with the experimental results. |
