A new experimental approach of the Kolsky bar system using optical interferometry is presented for determination of dynamic behavior of materials. Conventional measurements in the Kolsky bar system are based on recording the strain histories on the incident and transmitter bars with two strain gauges, and require good adhesion between the gauge and the bar. We suggest an alternative approach, based on measuring the actual velocities of the bars by using fiber-based velocity interferometry. Two fiber focusers illuminate the bars at a small angle and collect reflected Doppler-shifted light, which is interfered with a reference beam. Velocities are calculated from short-time Fourier transform and phase-based analysis, and the dynamic stress-strain curve is derived directly from the measured velocity traces. We demonstrate that the results coincide with those obtained by conventional strain gauge measurements. The new method is non-intervening and thus not affected by bar impacts, making it more robust and reliable than strain gauges.

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The issue of adiabatic shearing is discussed in this work and a new interpretation is given to some failure phenomena which are usually termed as adiabatic shears. We propose that only a few materials undergo a truly inherent failure which is due to thermal softening at the shearing zone and that the interplay between microvoids, cracks and narrow shear bands should be taken into account through the temperature rise at the front of advancing cracks. Also, the size of the plastic zone ahead of a crack plays an important role in determining the brittleness of a given specimen and should be taken into account when specimens of different sizes are tested. Experimental results for several alloys in the Kolsky bar system support our approach.Keywords: Kolsky bar, SHPB, adiabatic shear banding. INTRODUCTIONAdiabatic shear banding is one of the major failure mechanisms of solids subjected to high rate loading. Extensive research on this subject has been conducted over the past 50 years, both experimentally and theoretically, much of which is summarized in BAI and DODD [1]. The most common explanation of this dynamic instability is based on the competing tendencies of the solid to strengthen at high strains (and strain rates) and, on the other hand, to soften with the temperature increase under adiabatic loading conditions. Although many materials seem to behave accordingly, the basic mechanism which causes this softening is still unresolved. Recent work on the subject is focused on the basic physics behind this process, as can be found in [2-5], for example. These works emphasize the link between adiabatic shearing and ductile fracture by the coalescence of microvoids, since the shear zones act as precursor sites for eventual failure by cracks (see [2]). GIOVANOLA [3,4] conducted a careful experimental study on 4340 steel specimens, in order to follow the evolution of strain localization and failure which he finds to proceed in two stages. He found that the first stage of localization (deformed bands) results in the formation of local perturbations for the strain field, such as machining marks. These perturbations grow as a result of the imbalance between strain hardening and thermal softening. In the second stage, softening is due to the nucleation and growth of microvoids, leading to the shear fracture within the band. GIOVANOLA [3,4] suggested that this process can take place under other conditions, including quasi-static loading. He also emphasized the role of the compressive stress which acts on the shear plane to reduce the microvoid nucleation process.FLOCKHART et al.[5] used numerical simulations to follow the shear band in dynamically compressed specimen, by analyzing the loci of velocity discontinuities within the specimen. They also claim that "the distinction between shear fracture and adiabatic shear failure is not clear", and that "material susceptibility to adiabatic shear alone does not guarantee that failure occurs by this mechanism, as shear fracture may intervene". This interplay between shear...

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