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The onset of densification of cellular solids represents the start of the cell wall interactions, which enhance the compressive resistance of a cellular solid. Currently, there exists ambiguity in the definition and uncertainty in the determination of the compressive strain, from which the densification regime starts. The onset strain of densification and the densification strain are defined and distinguished in the present study. Several commonly used methods to determine the onset strain of densification are examined. It is shown that the method based on the energy absorption efficiency curve gives unique and consistent results. Two types of energy absorption efficiency curves are identified. Further justifications of the use of the energy absorption efficiency method are provided for various types of cellular solids.

Effects of the inertia-induced radial confinement on the dynamic increase factor (DIF) of a mortar specimen are investigated in split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) tests. It is shown that axial strain acceleration is unavoidable in SHPB tests on brittle samples at high strain-rates although it can be reduced by the application of a wave shaper. By introducing proper measures of the strain-rate and axial strain acceleration, their correlations are established. In order to demonstrate the influence of inertia-induced confinement on the dynamic compressive strength of concrete-like materials, tubular mortar specimens are used to reduce the inertia-induced radial confinement in SHPB tests. It is shown that the DIF measured by SHPB tests on tubular specimens is lower than the DIF measured by SHPB tests on solid specimens. This paper offers experimental support for a previous publication , Int. J. of Solids and Struct., 40,[343][344][345][346][347][348][349][350][351][352][353][354][355][356][357][358][359][360], which claimed that inertia-induced radial confinement makes a large contribution to the dynamic compressive strength enhancement of concrete-like materials when the strain-rate is greater than a critical transition strain-rate between 10 1 and 10 2 s -1 . It is concluded that DIF formulae for concrete-like materials measured by split Hopkinson pressure bar tests need to be corrected if they are going to be used as the unconfined uniaxial compressive strength in the design and numerical modelling of structures made from concrete-like materials to resist impact and blast loads.

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