IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 1

IAS Summer Research Fellowship Programme 2012

Final Report
____________________________________________________
ELECTROPNEUMATIC BAR MANIPULATION SETUP
FOR COMPRESSION KOLSKY BAR APPARATUS
____________________________________________________



Author:
Debraj Roy
Applicant No. ENGS1933
B.Tech (M & AE) IV Semester
Amity School of Engineering & Technology, Jaipur


Under the guidance of
Prof. Krishna Jonnalagadda
(Department of Mechanical Engineering)
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai


Report Due Date:
30 July 2012
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 2

Abstract

An experimental setup has been developed for the compression Kolsky bar
(split-Hopkinson pressure bar or SHPB) apparatus at IIT Bombay to be duly used
for high strain-rate (10
3
s
-1
) testing at elevated temperatures (up to 1000C). The
setup constitutes of an electro-pneumatic bar actuator to bring the two bars in the
apparatus in contact at the moment the strain wave reaches the input bar. An
electric relay with timed delay setup implements the momentary contact between
the bars & synchronizes the contact with the strain wave. The setup presented is
easily producible and simplified from existing setups. It would greatly negate any
chance of formation of thermal gradients among the bars upon contact with
specimen at high temperature and hence, reduce the errors in the study of dynamic
behavior of materials at elevated temperatures.

IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 3

Acknowledgements

I would like to extend my heartiest gratitude to respected Prof. Krishna
Jonnalagadda, Department Of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Bombay for his
visionary guidance and sizable subvention at each and every step of the project. It
was his precisionist & rationalist remonstrance that obscured the way for me to
work through this programme and develop an apical precinct for the task. It was
extremely amiable experience to work under a truly devoted and ingenious
scholastic at one of the most reputed institutes of India.
Also, it would be malefic of me if I fail to extend my gratitude to all the
colleagues whom I interacted in the time being of 8 weeks. I would immensely like
to appreciate the support of Vignesh Pai, Nikhil Madame, Subir Patra & Mr. Vinod
Pare for their generous & receptible nature throughout the work.
The fact that this small journey is approaching its end is sorrowful for me as
I would have liked to gain more from all the aforementioned delightful personnel. I
was also willing to have completed with the fabrication of the setup from my own,
but shortage of time and material requisites have hindered my willingness. It would
be grateful of me to lend my hand in nearby future for any other task in the project
and even experiment on it once it is completed.
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 4

Table of Contents
Abstract.2
Acknowledgements...3
Table of Contents..4
Figures................................................................................................................6
Tables8
1. Introduction.9
2. Historical Perspectives to Bar Manipulator Setups...10
a. Circulating Boiling Water...10
b. Impedance Matching Insulators..10
c. Screw Driven Bar Mover system11
d. Electro-pneumatic Bar manipulator Setup......11
3. Bar Manipulator Setup Description........12
4. Components & Computational Validation for the Bar Manipulator
setup..16
a. Pressure Pipes..16
b. Computational validation for pipe diameter16
c. Computational validation for pipe thickness...17
d. Computational validation for stresses in pipe......18
e. Wall-mount accessory for pipes...18
i. U-type Pipe Clamps....18
ii. U-Bolt Pipe clamps.19
f. Ball Valve20
g. Connectors for setup22
i. Threaded fittings.23
ii. Push-in Straight Reducing Connectors...23
iii. Push-in T-Connectors.24
h. Solenoid Valve24
i. Pressure Regulator with Gauge- Relieving Type27
j. Air Receiver.....29
k. Computational validation for cylinder thickness.....32
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 5

l. Mounting Bracket for Air Receiver..32
m. Relay Circuit.....34
n. Pusher Ring...37
o. Actuator Block with stand....41
p. Characteristics for compressed N
2
at 8 bar...43
q. Computational validation for Reynolds No. using pipe of 10mm
....44
r. Computational validation for compressed N
2
flow rate using pipe of
10mm .45
s. Pressure Drop Calculations for a sample 2m pressure pipe.46
t. Theoretical Validation for Bar Manipulator Setup Working...47
u. Optimization with reduced impact for Bar Manipulator Setup48
5. References50
6. Bibliography.52

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Figures
Figure 1: Electro-pneumatic Bar Actuator setup for High temperature Compression
Kolsky Bar experiment12
Figure 2: Pneumatic Circuit for Electro-Pneumatic Bar Manipulator Setup15
Figure 3: U-type Pipe Clamps CATIA V5 Part Model.....18
Figure 4: U-type Pipe Clamps CATIA V5 Working Views Draft19
Figure 5: U-Bolt Pipe Clamps CATIA V5 Part Model.19
Figure 6: U-Bolt Pipe Clamps CATIA V5 Working Views Draft.20
Figure 7: Ball Valve CATIA V5 Surface Model20
Figure 8: Ball Valve Section Cut view
[v]
..21
Figure 9: Ball Valve CATIA V5 Working Views Draft.................22
Figure 10: Threaded Fittings
[ix]
.23
Figure 11: Push-in Straight Reducing Connectors CATIA V5 Surface Model

[16]
23
Figure 12: Push-in T-Connectors CATIA V5 Surface Model
[17]
24
Figure 13: Solenoid Valve CATIA V5 Surface Model25
Figure 14: Solenoid Valve CATIA V5 Working Views Draft.25
Figure 15: Pneumatic Symbol for 3/2-way Solenoid Valve Normally Open26
Figure 16: Pressure Regulator with Gauge28
Figure 17: Air Receiver 2.5L 2D-CAD Drawing.30
Figure 18: Air Receiver CATIA V5 Part Model31
Figure 19: Air Receiver CATIA V5 Working Views Draft..31
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 7

Figure 20: Mounting Bracket for Air Receiver CATIA V5 Part
Model...32
Figure 21: Mounting Bracket for Air Receiver CATIA V5 Working Views
Draft33
Figure 22: ON-Delay Relay Pneumatic Circuit Diagram..........34
Figure 23: ON-Delay Relay Electrical Circuit Diagram..35
Figure 24: Time v/s Operating Voltage plot for ON-Delay relay35
Figure 25: Terminal setup connections for ON-Delay Relay36
Figure 26: View of terminals of ON-Delay Relay37
Figure 27: View of terminals of ON-Delay Relay37
Figure 28: Pusher Ring Type 1 CATIA V5 Part Model38
Figure 29: Pusher Ring Type 1 CATIA V5 Working Views Draft..39
Figure 30: Pusher Ring Type 2 CATIA V5 Part Model39
Figure 31: Pusher Ring Type 2 CATIA V5 Working Views Draft40
Figure 32: Pusher Ring Type 3 CATIA V5 Part Model40
Figure 33: Pusher Ring Type 3 CATIA V5 Working Views Draft41
Figure 34: Actuator Block with stand CATIA V5 Part Model.42
Figure 35: Actuator Block with stand CATIA V5 Working Views Draft ..43
Figure 36: Reynolds No. Calculations.44
Figure 37: Flow Rate calculations..45
Figure 38: Pressure Drop Calculations..46
Figure 39: Free Body Diagram for the setup47

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Tables
Table 1: PUN-H Pressure Tubing specifications
[13, iii]
....16
Table 2: Ball Valve, manually actuated specifications
[15, iii]
...21
Table 3: Bill of Materials - Ball Valve, manually actuated
[15, iii]
22
Table 4: Solenoid Valve, 3/2-way, Normally Open specifications
[18, iii, VI]
.....26
Table 5: Bill of Materials - Solenoid Valve, 3/2-way, Normally Open
[18, iii, VI]
..27
Table 6: Pressure Regulator with Gauge- Relieving type specifications
[19]
.......28
Table 7: Bill of Materials - Pressure Regulator with Gauge- Relieving type
[19]
.28
Table 8: Air Receiver specifications...29
Table 9: Mounting Bracket for Air Receiver specifications....33
Table 10: ON-Delay relay specifications
[20]
.......36
Table 11: Pusher Ring specifications..38
Table 12: Actuator Block with stand specifications....42


IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 9

Introduction

High Temperature Compression Kolsky Bar is a modification from
general Kolsky bar setup which is also widely known as the Split Hopkinson
Pressure Bar. This apparatus is used primarily for the testing of dynamic behavior
of the material at elevated temperature at high strain rates. It was built with the aim
of assuring materials dependability and usefulness under conditions involving
impacts. The Universal Testing Machine can work well for the quasi-static loading
conditions and up to strain rates of 0.1 s
-1
but for when deciding for any structural
component which has to undergo immense amount of strain at various strain rates
of the order of up to 10
3
s
-1
at high temperatures, the quasi-static results just dont
prove to be pleasing to any point and so the high strain rate testing using the
Kolsky bar setup is preferred for solving the purpose
[1]
.

Various high strain rate testing methods have been devised over the time
being using the setup starting from John Hopkinson, his son Bertram Hopkinson
and by other eminent contributors RM Davies and H. Kolsky. The prevalent
Kolsky bar setup measures stress pulse propagation in a metal bar by using two
Hopkinson bars in series, known as the split-Hopkinson bar with cathode-ray
oscilloscopes to record the pressure wave propagation in the bars.

The compression apparatus is found to allow high strain rate deformation at
dynamic equilibrium of sample or as usually said, when stress gradient is found to
be zero. When the same setup is applied to specimen testing at high temperature it
is often referred to as High Temperature Dynamic Recovery Test
[2]
. It involves
heating of a specimen prior to being sandwiched between the incident and the
transmission bar while a projectile strikes the incident. For this the bar have to be
kept particularly at low temperatures or else it has been observed that the specimen
temperature drops when it is in contact with the bars, & along with this thermal
gradients are formed in bars which greatly affects the elastic properties of the bars
and consequently the stress pulses. In a few cases, there may also be chance of
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 10

annealing of bar ends. In an attempt to reduce the Cold Contact Time
[3]
, a basic
approach preferred, is to heat the specimen without keeping it in contact with the
bars
[3, 4]
or else innumerous variations for the elastic modulus and wave velocities.
Another way would be to use short length insulating impedance-matched ceramic
bar
[5]
but requirement o large input energy for heating the specimen negates use of
this method. The setup to be designed required the precise timing for the contact of
the bars which would anyways cause thermal gradients to be developed. This
report describes the setup being in process of being built at IIT Bombay for the
high temperature compression Kolsky bar experiment. The bar manipulator setup
would be an electro-pneumatic actuation system with a timed relay for optimized
bar closure once the incident wave arrives.


Historical perspective to Bar Manipulator Setups

Circulating Boiling Water
[6]

This setup was able to heat specimen to 100C using a chamber circulating
boiling water only which didnt affect the wave propagation.

Impedance Matching Insulators
[7]

This setup used aluminum oxide bars impedance matched to the incident &
transmitted bars on both sides of the specimen inside the heating furnace and were
seen to increase error rates on account of the change in impedance of aluminum
oxide bars with high temperature.
Another similar setup using Tungsten Carbide inserts impedance matched
with the bars were used in an experiment for attaining temperatures up to 1000C
and strain rates of 1650 s
-1
upon HSLA-65 specimen.
[8]


IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 11

Screw Driven Bar Mover system
[9]

This bar mover was primarily a screw driver with opposing threads on each
end which were driven by an electric motor using a chain link. The screw driver is
connected to the bars using two arms of which the one attached to the transmitter
bar triggers a positioned switch made of photodiode so that they are relayed to the
striker so that the bars are brought to contact 50-150 ms prior to the compression
wave entering the specimen. A 5C decrease in the specimen temperature was
observed as expected for 400ms cold contact time.

Electro-pneumatic Bar Manipulator Setup

This setup particularly supersedes others due to greater compatibility for
working upon both conducting & non-conducting materials when using the
infrared spot heaters as done by Lennon & Ramesh
[3]
with a much easily
obtainable coordination between firing of gas gun and connecting of bars with the
specimen. Alternatively, an electro-pneumatic setup had been made with a
pneumatic system moving the specimen inside the furnace & removing it at test
temperature & finally aligning it with the bars
[10]
.
The ease of manipulation of the method has increased interest of the
researchers all over the world to employ this efficient, reliable and creative setup.
With an aim of bringing the cold contact time below 50ms
[11]
where most systems
without synchronized heating setups have a CCT of 500ms, the setup has been
designed in accordance to attain the prevalent standards achievable by the available
means of present time. In this method particularly, maximum attainable
temperature depends upon the transfer mechanism which must be as quick &
accurate as possible so as to reduce contact to as less as the smallest fraction of a
second.

IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 12

Bar Manipulator Setup Description

FIG. 1
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 13

A schematic of the whole setup designed to fulfill the need of bar
manipulation enabling high temperature compression testing is been given in the
previous page.
The two bars, namely the incident & the transmitted bars of length nearly
1300cm are being used in the setup which would remain elastic throughout the
experiment & would have the small cylindrical specimen at a minute distance from
contact or say air gap somewhere in between them approximating a distance of 2-
5mm. The projectile fired by the gas gun would strike one end of the incident bar
once the spot heater heats up the specimen to the test temperature. A thermocouple
wire would serve the purpose of suspending the specimen while it is being heated
till the incident wave would arrive. The incident & transmitted would be brought in
contact a few ms prior to the arrival of the incident wave by triggering off the bar
manipulator setup. The specimen would be moved along with the incident to the
direction of application of air pressure and thus eventually it would be sandwiched
between the bars or may be placed in the aluminum catcher tube as of ease.
The electro-pneumatic bar actuator used to move the bars in contact would
be triggered of after a particular delay ranging from 5ms - 1s once the pressure is
being given to the gas gun. This is achieved by a pressure switch which would
convert the pressure at the input pipe to an electrical signal. This signal is then sent
to an ON-Delay relay designed especially for solving the purpose as the
commercially available timed relays have operating range of 250ms to 60min. The
explanation for the internal design of the setup of relay is been mentioned at
further stage of the report.
Simultaneously, the main pressure source would be used to charge this
electro-pneumatic actuator setup thus eradicating requirement of an independent
pressure source. For this, a T-connection in the main pipe leading to the gas gun
was been implemented with a ball valve in the design. The ball valve is a shut-off
valve primarily designed to open or close the flow manually, working of which has
also been detailed in the later part of the report. Thus, a manual control on the
auxiliary setup for high-temperature testing of materials was kept in mind
increasing alterability of the setup to varied experimentation modes.
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 14

When the ball valve is let open high pressure input N
2
starts rushing to an
auxiliary air chamber or as referred afterwards as the air receiver and so a pressure
regulator is used in the setup reducing the pressure to a desirable pressure of 8
bars. A manometer or gauge attached to the regulator helps in attaining the desired
pressure. The computations for deciding the desired pressure is been mentioned in
later sections. A normally open 3/2-way electrical-directional control valve also
popularly known as the Solenoid valve is been used in the next step to allow the
filling of the pressurized gas in the air receiver.
Once the gas gun is been fired and the pressure switch has been triggered it
would cause the solenoid valve to close thus allowing flow through the alternative
path through the outlet pipe. Thus, the high pressure gas for the air receiver would
start to move through outlet pipe & would start evacuating the air receiver. A
regulator at outlet pipe would regulate pressure at the final stage before the air is
delivered to the actuator block. A pressure up to 5 bar would be suggested to get
the optimum results without damaging any portion of the setup depending upon the
need. As for the flow rate is concerned maintaining continuity at all the sections of
pipe and considering the pipe losses, a suggested flow rate of 0.5-0.6 liters per
second or in standard units 30-36 liters per minute would e sufficient to meet the
cause. Validation of these is been done in the computational section
[i]
.
Directing the output high pressure is been sent to a covering or as preferably
said as actuator block. This covering is cylindrical in shape with a countersunk
hole and the end where pressure is passed to encase a pusher ring within it. This
can be made up of polyisoprene or synthetic rubber like styrene-butadiene for its
cost-efficiency and natural shock absorbing tendency once high pressure air would
start to act. As suitable a wide range of polymer or even wood can serve as the
constructing material. The pusher ring made up of commercially available SS304
steel would be placed inside the actuator block as per desired extent. This ring
would drag along with it the incident bar to come in contact with the specimen
under effect of the high pressure gas with the liberty to slide inside the covering.
When desired displacement in the block has been achieved the ring escapes out of
the covering thus allowing the high pressure gas to escape to the atmosphere. A
pneumatic circuit of the CAD schematic for the bar manipulator setup has been
given in the following page.
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 15




The distance to be travelled by the pusher ring before it escapes the actuator
block would be varied according to the speed of the projectile so as to negate with
any impact occuring between incident bar and specimen, i.e, conserve momentum
upto optimum extent. The further travel of the transmitted bar from the specimen
and incident bar would be prevented using a paper strip which would be torn but
would successfully stop the overtravel. With the bars successfully closed, the
projectile should have struck the incident bar by now and would send the incident
wave. Thus a very minute cold contact time can be ensured with the setup being
designed with even great scope for manipulation as per need.
FIG. 2
Pneumatic Circuit for Electro-Pneumatic Bar Manipulator Setup
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 16

Components & Computational Validation for the Bar
Manipulator setup

Pressure Pipes
Commercially available pipes were being under consideration for use in the
setup. Length of the pipe is negotiable as per purpose. NPT connection at pipe ends
would greatly ease out task of push-in connections. The PUN-H (polyurethane)
pipes is highly suitable for compressed air but has weak resistance to flame and
isnt a suitable antistatic agent as it supports buildup of static charge. A suitable
resistance to hydrolysis, media & cleaning agents is seen in these pipes.
Feature PUN-H Tube
Material Polyurethane
Tubing O.D. 10 mm
Nominal Pipe Size 1/8 in
Threads per Inch 27
Thread Pitch 0.03704 in (0.94082 mm)
Operating Pressure 0.95 to 10 bar
Operating Temperature -35C to +60C
[13,iii]


Computational validation for pipe diameter
[14]


- Length of incident bar, L = 1.3m =1300mm
- Diameter of incident bar, D = .5= 12.7mm
- Volume of incident bar, V =
2
4
D L t
=1.6468x10
-4
m
3

- Density of incident bar material, = 7.8x10
3
kg/m
3

- Mass of incident bar, M = V = 1.2845 kg
Table 1: PUN-H Pressure Pipe Specifications
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 17

- Diameter of pusher ring, d = 50mm
- Thickness of pusher ring, t = 5mm
- Volume of pusher ring, v =
2
4
d t t
= 9.817477x10
-6
m
3

- Mass of ring, m =0.07657632 kg
- Mass of the manipulation system, M
s
= 1.361076 kg
+

- Coefficient of friction for metal contact, = 0.3 (approx.)
- Estimated force for overcoming friction, F
f
= M
s
g = 4.005647 N
- Maximum velocity attainable by striker bar, V
s
= 70 m/s (assumption)
- Length of barrel for striker bar, L
s
= 1.25m
- Time taken by striker bar, T
s
=
s
s
L
v
= 17.857 ms
- Flow rate from source, Q = 0.5 l/s = 5x10
-4
m
3
/s (assumption)
- Max. time for bringing bar in contact with a min. delay T
max

= 15ms
- Distance of air gap between bars, S = 4mm (assumption)
- Min. velocity of manipulation system, V
min
=
S
T
= 0.26667 m/s
- Applied pressure from source, P = 5 bar
- Density of N
2
at 5 bar, N = 8.91216 kg/m
3

- Mass flow rate of N
2
, dm
N
= Q
N
= 4.4506x10
-3

kg/s
Applying Law of conservation of momentum
- Max. velocity of N
2
through pipes, V
N
=
min s
N
V M
dm
= 9.0306 m/s
- Critical diameter for pipe, d
pipe
=
4
N
Q
V t
= 8.396157 mm
Henceforth, PUN-H polyurethane pipe diameter d
pipe
selected is 10mm.

Computational validation for pipe thickness

- Tensile strength for PUN-H pipe,
t
o = 28 MPa
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 18

- Weisbach constant for PUN-H pipe, c = 0.2mm
- Critical thickness for pipe t
c
=
d
2
pipe
t
P
o
+c = 0.28928 mm
Henceforth, PUN-H polyurethane pipe thickness t
pipe
selected is
0.3mm.

Computational validation for stresses in pipe

- Outer radius of pipe, r
o
= 5mm
- Inner radius of pipe, r
i
= r
o
-t = 4.7 mm
- Lames Equation for Tangential Stress,
t
o =
2
2 2
0
i
i
Pr
r r
(
2
0
2
1
r
x
+ )
- On outer surface, x=r
o
, min
t
o = 7.591065 MPa
- On inner surface, x=r
i
, max
t
o = 8.0910653 MPa

Wall-Mount Accessory for Pipes
Opt.1 U-type Pipe Clamps

High quality stainless steel sheet
is generally used for these
clamps with the surface
galvanised for long term wear &
corrosion resistance. M10
clamps spaced at 20cm is under
consideration to solve the task as
the high pressure flowing
through pipes is turbulent
enough to cause circumferential
motion in the PUN-H pipes.

FIG. 3
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 19




Opt.2 U- Bolt Pipe clamps

FIG. 5
FIG. 4
U-type Pipe Clamps CATIA V5 Working Views Draft
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 20




Ball Valve



FIG. 7
FIG. 6
U-Bolt Pipe Clamps CATIA V5 Working Views Draft
Ball Valve CATIA V5 Surface Model
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 21

For the purpose of setting up the bar manipulator setup active the ball valve
is been used. The above CATIA V5 model is a replica of FESTO QH
[15,iii]
2/2 way,
manually actuated ball valve with G1/2 threads for pneumatic connection with a
capacity to handle flow rates upto 84,000 l/min. The spherical ball alias seat
present in the valve stops the flow. Moving the lever or as generally said handle,
the sphere rotates about presenting the face with a cutout section allowing the flow
of fluid. The extent to which the lever is rotated decides the amount of fluid to
flow.
[v]



Feature Ball Valve, manually actuated
Weight 340 g
Nominal Size 15 mm
Actuation Torque 8 Nm
Type of Mounting In-line installation
Sealing principle Soft
Operating Pressure 0.95 to 30 bar
Ambient Temperature -20C to +180C


FIG. 8
Ball Valve Section Cut view
Table 2: Ball Valve, manually actuated specifications
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 22

Ball Valve, manually actuated Material
Housing Brass
Lever Painted aluminum
Ball Hard chrome plated
Seals PTFE
[15,iii]




Connectors for setup
Opt.1 Threaded fittings
Also termed as reducing nipple, these nickel-plated brass fitting reduce
connect two pneumatic components of varying diameters. It may be used to
FIG. 9
Table 3: Bill of Materials - Ball Valve, manually actuated
Ball Valve CATIA V5 Working Views Draft
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 23

connect the pipes to solenoid valve as well as the ball valves to the PUN-H
pipes & probably the pressure regulators as per material purchased for the
fabrication of setup.
[ix]



Opt.2 Push-in Straight Reducing Connectors
[16]


These connectors can be used as an alternative to the previous threaded fitting
as they support push-in feature suitable for pipes and usable with compressed air.
FIG. 10
FIG. 11
Threaded Fittings
Push-in Straight Reducing Connectors CATIA V5 Surface Model
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 24

The ends of the connector have varying diameters. Nitrile rubber sealing provides a
perfect seal between the standard outer diameter tubing and the body of the fitting.

Opt.3 Push-in T- Connectors
The robust stainless steel retaining claws within the fitting hold the tubing
securely without damaging its surface while absorbing vibrations and surges.
Simple push-in connections with rotatabilty improve ease of work. This would be
essentially used to deviate a portion of pressure from the main supply to the setup
while one end allows the flow to the gas gun.
[17]



Solenoid Valve

This valve acts as an interface between the tasks of switching off air supply to
air receiver from pressure source and vacating the pressure air from air receiver to
the actuator block.
[17]


FIG. 12
Push-in T- Connectors CATIA V5 Surface Model
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 25





FIG. 13
FIG. 14
Solenoid Valve CATIA V5 Surface Model
Solenoid Valve CATIA V5 Working Views Draft
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 26

- If no current is applied to the solenoid coil of the directional control valve,
the pressurized gas from main pressure source flows to the air receiver.
Here, the solenoid coil is de-energised and inactive.
- If current is applied to the solenoid coil, the directional control valve
switches and the input to the air receiver is stopped and the pressurized gas
moves out of air receiver to the actuator block.
- In any case of interrupting the current, the valve switches back. The inlet
opens and the gas flows into air receiver.

[17]



In initial position, the working port 2 is linked to pressure port 1 by the slot
in the armature.
If the solenoid is energised, the magnetic field forces the armature up against
the pressure of the spring. The upper sealing seat opens and the path is free
for flow to exhaust port 3 from working port 2. The lower sealing seat
closes, shutting off the path between port 1 and port 2.
If the solenoid coil is deenergised, the armature is retracted to its initial
position by the return spring. The path between port 1 and port 2 is opened
and the path between port 2 and port 3 is closed. The compressed air is
vented via the pipe at port 3.


Feature Solenoid Valve Normally Open
Function 3/2-way
FIG. 15
Pneumatic Symbol for 3/2-way Solenoid Valve Normally Open
Table 4: Solenoid Valve, 3/2-way, Normally Open specifications
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 27

Version In-line valve
Voltage 12V dc/ 230V ac
Reset Method Pneumatic spring
Sealing Principle Soft
Nominal Size 2.1 mm
Standard Nominal Flow Rate 200 l/min
Width 10 mm
Switching Time on/off 12/10 ms
Pneumatic Connection M5
Type of Mounting Via through holes
Operating Pressure 0.9 to 8 bar
Ambient Temperature -5C to +50C
Electrical connection Horizontal plug
Manual Override Pushing
Type of Control Piloted


Solenoid Valve Normally Open Material
Housing Aluminum
Seals Nitrile Rubber (BUNA-N)
[18,iii,vi]

Pressure Regulator with Gauge- Relieving Type

The pressure regulator to be used as per recent developments in the project
status involved secondary ventilation that helps maintaining a constant operating
pressure despite fluctuations in line pressure & the amount of air consumed. The
relieving type regulator signifies reduction of output pressure. Adjustments to the
input pressure to the air receiver and at the output before the actuator block are
been made possible by the pressure regulator. The regulator would be mounted on
the wall using a small cardboard or wooden panel, that can bear the load of the
regulator fixed to the wall using screws. Mounting brackets are to be used for
fixing the regulators with the regulators.
Table 5: Bill of Materials - Solenoid Valve, 3/2-way, Normally
Open Specifications
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 28


[vii]


Feature Pressure Regulator
Type 16 bar with gauge
Design Diaphragm regulator
Mounting Using mounting brackets
Connection NPT
Nominal Flow Rate 3500 l/min
Operating Pressure 1 to 16 bar
Ambient Temperature -10C to +60C
Weight 0.78kg



Pressure Regulator Material
Housing Gadolinium-Zinc
Seals Nitrile Rubber (BUNA-N)
Adjustment Knobs Nylon 6 (Polycaprolactam)
[19]
FIG. 16
Table 6: Pressure Regulator with Gauge- Relieving type specifications
Open Specifications
Table 5: Pressure Regulator with Gauge
Table 7: Bill of Materials - Pressure Regulator with Gauge- Relieving type
Open Specifications
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 29


Air Receiver
This is the back bone of the setup which enables storing & simultaneous release
of the high pressure N
2
. The specifications for the air receiver are:


Feature Air Receiver
Outer Diameter 100mm
Length of Cylinder 300mm
L/D Ratio 3
Thickness of Cylinder 3mm
Volume 2.3562 L
Mounting Using Mounting Brackets
Operating Pressure 1 to 8 bar
Max. Permissible Pressure 15 bar
Diameter of Inlet Valve 1/4
Material Used SS304
Weight of Cylinder 18.378317 kg
Table 8: Air Receiver specifications
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 30


FIG. 17
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 31






FIG. 18
FIG. 19
Air Receiver CATIA V5 Part Model
Air Receiver CATIA V5 Working Views Draft
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 32

Computational validation for cylinder thickness
[14]


- Outer diameter of cylinder, D = 100mm
- Length of cylinder, L = 300mm
- Volume of cylinder, V =
2
4
D L t
= 2.359x10
-3
m
3

- Safe stress for SS304 pressure vessel,
t
o = 30 MPa
- Max. permissible pressure for cylinder, P = 15 bar
- Critical thickness for cylinder, t
c
=
2
t
PD
o
= 2.5 mm
- Also, Lame's Equation, t =
2
d
( 1
t
t
P
P
o
o
+

) =2.56575mm
Henceforth, thickness for pressure vessel of SS304 steel is 2.5mm.

Mounting Bracket for Air Receiver

An optional mounting bracket for wall mounting the air receiver has been
designed which is similar to the supports used for fire extinguishers.



Mounting Bracket
CATIA V5 Part
Model
FIG. 20
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 33





Feature Mounting Bracket
Material Used SS304
Length 330mm
Outer Diameter for brackets 105mm
Thickness 3mm
No. of mounting screws 6
Dist. b/w adjacent screws 50mm from top




FIG. 21
Mounting Bracket CATIA V5 Working Views Draft
Table 9: Mounting Bracket for Air Receiver specifications
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 34

Relay Circuit



The above is the circuit diagram of Relay. It acts as the signal processing
unit providing a direct control on the flow of air into the air receiver. The used type
for the bar manipulator setup is an ON-Delay Timed relay which works as follows;
The main pressure source switched on would allow the high pressure gas to run to
the gas gun. A pressure switch placed right before the T-connector to deviate the
flow to the auxiliary setup would send an electrical signal to mark that the main
setup has started. It marks that the striker has been fired and now its time to bring
the bars in contact. As its generally believed that the striker would take longer
time to incident bar so a small delay has to be given for starting the solenoid valve
considering a start-off time for the valve. The electrical equivalent for the relay is
given next.
FIG. 22
ON-Delay Relay Pneumatic Circuit Diagram
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 35



- When pressure switch S1 is pressed on starting flow from main pressure
source, an input voltage say U is set up & the relay gets energized and time
delay begins.
- The output remains de-energized during timing and at end of time delay,
output energizes. Relay contacts R change state after time delay is complete.
- Reclosing the pressure switch during timing resets time delay. Any loss of
voltage would reset the time delay & output.
[20]
The following is a time v/s
operating voltage general characteristics curve for ON-Delay Relay
[20]

FIG. 23

Time v/s
Operating
Voltage for
ON-Delay
Relay
FIG. 24
ON-Delay Relay Electrical Circuit Diagram
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 36

Feature ON-Delay Relay
Type Electromechanical relay
Accuracy 10%
Reset Time s50ms
Recycle Time s150ms
Load Type DPDT or SPDT
Panel Mounting Using 11 pin plug-on socket with brackets
Operating Voltage 230V ac 15%
Operating Current 10A ac
Indicator Timing LED to mark relay energised
Range 8ms to 60s
2ms increments from 8ms to 200ms
300ms increments from 100ms to 60s
Min. Setting 5% of range, except 5ms on 8ms range
Repeat accuracy 0.1% or
5ms whichever is greater
Housing Impact resistant plastic case
[20]

The relay terminals of standard ON-Delay relays are been provided below
which depict the various pins on board for connections.

FIG. 25
Table 10: ON-Delay relay specifications
Terminal setup connections for ON-Delay Relay
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 37







Pusher Ring

The small ring attached to the incident bar that would move the whole bar along
with it when pressure is applied upon it is been designed in 3 ways which could be
FIG. 26
FIG. 27
View of terminals of ON-Delay Relay
View of terminals of ON-Delay Relay
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 38

manufactured as found desirable. Standard SS304 stainless steel pusher rings
commercially available can be used as per specifications.
Feature Pusher Ring
Material Used SS304
Inner Diameter 12.705mm
Outer Diameter 50mm
Thickness 5mm


Opt.1



This type of pusher ring is compatible for low operating pressure . This
would have less contact with the bar but would prevent easy escape of pressurized
air due to its geometric construction until it itself escapes the covering. It would
have more region in contact with the covering. Its inner region thickness is
supposedly taken as 3 mm in above CATIA V5 model.
FIG. 28
Table 11: Pusher Ring specifications
Pusher Ring Type 1 CATIA V5 Part Model
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 39




Opt.2


FIG. 29
FIG. 30
Pusher Ring Type 1 CATIA V5 Working Views Draft
Pusher Ring Type 2 CATIA V5 Part Model
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 40

This type of pusher ring would maximise contact with the bar and would
easily drag the bar along with itself due to increased friction without chance of
slipping off. It would be recommended to be used when operating pressure is high
and distance to be covered is less as compared to general cases. The outer region
thickness is taken as 2mm while rest configuration is taken for dimensions in table.


Opt.3

FIG. 31
FIG. 32
Pusher Ring Type 3 CATIA V5 Part Model
Pusher Ring Type 2 CATIA V5 Working Views Draft
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 41



This is a slightly modified version of pusher ring that could be used in case the
momentum of bars is found to be greater than calculated. In such case the cutout
regions along the circumference of the ring would allow easy escape of high
pressure gas even when in contact with the covering and limit the pressure force
acting on the ring. Thus the bar would move slowly and will take a bit more time
for bar closure. The outer region has 2mm thickness and the slope geometry ends
at the inner region of 5mm thickness.

Actuator Block with stand

FIG. 33
Pusher Ring Type 3 CATIA V5 Working Views Draft
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 42

The actuator block is preferably made of nitrile rubber so that a better grip
can be attained with the bar or else the high pressure air may cause back
draft upon the actuator block and push it backwards. A stand with screws for
fixing the actuator block upon the base of the Kolsky bar setup has been
designed. This would allow the block to readily absorb any vibrations from
the PUN-H pipes due to the high pressure N
2
. The holes made in the actuator
block are for housing the pipes which have NPT threads at end.



Feature Air Receiver
Outer Diameter 80mm
Inner Diameter 50mm
Material Nitrile Rubber
Stand Base dimensions 200mmx2mmx1.5mm
Stand Clamp O.D./I.D. 95mm/82mm
Stand material SS304
Diameter/ Spacing for Stand rods 5mm/20mm
Actuator Block with Stand CATIA V5 Part Model
FIG. 34
Table 12: Actuator Block with stand specifications
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 43



Characteristics for compressed N
2
at 8 bar
[ix]


- Density,
N
= 8.91216 kg/m
3

- Specific heat capacity, C
p
= 1.05248 kJ/kg K
- Specific heat capacity, C
v
= 0.744924 kJ/kg K
- Dynamic viscosity, = 2.28396x10
-6
m
2
/s
- Kinematic viscosity, = 2.0327245 x10
-5
Pa-s
- K-factor for PUN-H pipes, K = 0.140
- Minor losses coefficient for PUN-H pipes, K
m
= 26
[Iix]

- Pipe roughness for PUN-H pipes, k
r
=0.082mm

Actuator Block with Stand CATIA V5 Working Views Draft
FIG. 35
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 44

Computational validation for Reynolds No. using 10mm

pipe
[viii]




- Friction factor, f
D
=
64
e
R
= 0.00296087

FIG. 36
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 45

Computational validation for compressed N
2
flow rate using
pipe of 10mm dia
[viii]



FIG. 37
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 46

Pressure Drop Calculations for a sample 2m pressure pipe

- Ap =
2
2
D
L V
f
D

[viii]



FIG. 38
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 47

Theoretical Validation for Bar Manipulator Setup Working

- Mass of Manipulation System
+
, M
s
= 1.361076 kg
- Coefficient of friction for metal contact, = 0.3 (approx.)

- Angle of friction, = tan
-1
= 16.69924
- Outer diameter of pipe, D
pipe
= 10 mm
- Inner diameter of pipe, d
pipe
= 3/8 =9.525 mm (assumption, may vary)
- Area of effective pressure, A
pipe
=
2
i
d
4
P pc
t
= 7.125574x10
-3
m
3

- Pressure applied on actuator block, P = 5 bar
- Applied force at output, F = P x A = 35.62787 N
- For 2 pipe system, F
eff
= 2F =71.25574 N
- Net friction force developed in the system, F
f
= (F sin + mg) = 10.1482
N
- Accelerating force for manipulator system, F
net
= F
eff
F
f
=61.10754 N
- Acceleration of manipulator system, a =
net
F
m
= 44.8965 m/s
2

- Initial velocity of manipulator setup, u = 0m/s
- Distance of travel for setup, s = 4mm (assumption)
- Minimum time required for striker to reach barrel end, t
s
= 17.857 ms
Applying Newtons II
nd
equation
FIG. 39
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 48

S = ut + 0.5at
2

t =
0.5
s
a
= 13.3487 ms
Lowest delay required, t
d
=4.5083 ms
Optimisation with reduced impact for Bar Manipulator Setup

I. At s = 1mm
v = 2as = 0.2996548 m/s
t =
s
V
=3.337 ms
Stopping distance, s
stop
=
2
2 g
v

=
2
5.886
v
= 15.255 mm
Net distance travelled, s
total
= 16.255 mm

II. At s = 0.5mm
v = 2as = 0.211888 m/s
t =
s
v
=18.878 ms
Stopping distance, s
stop
=
2
2 g
v

=
2
5.886
v
= 7.62768 mm
Net distance travelled, s
total
= 8.12768 mm

III. At s = 0.25mm
v = 2as = 0.1498274 m/s
t =
s
v
=26.697 ms
Stopping distance, s
stop
=
2
2 g
v

=
2
5.886
v
= 3.81384 mm
Net distance travelled, s
total
= 4.06384 mm

IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 49

So, the system would show effective working of bringing the bars in closure
even if the pusher ring is 0.25mm within the actuator block. The momentum
delivered to the ring would still bring the bars in closure. For all greater values, a
paper stop to trap the momentum is been suggested.

IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 50

References
1. Song, B. & Weinong Chen, Split Hopkinson (Kolsky) Bar Design, Testing
and Applications. Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2011
2. Nemat-Nasser S, Introduction to High Strain Rate Testing, ASM Metals
Handbook, Vol 08, University of California, San Diego
3. Lennon, A.M. & Ramesh, K.T. (1998) A Technique for Measuring the
Dynamic Behavior of Materials at High Temperatures. International Journal
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4. Nemat-Nasser S, Isaacs JB. Direct measurement of isothermal flow stress of
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th
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12. Dike, Shweta (2010), Dynamic Deformation of Materials at Elevated
Temperatures, Thesis (M.S.) under Dr. Vikas Prakash & Dr. John
IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 51

Lewandowski, Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering,
CWRU.
13. FESTO Tubing/Fitting Combination PUN-H Product Catalogue, Festo AG
& Co. KG
14. Khurmi, R.S., Machine Design, Eurasia Publishing House (Pvt.) Ltd.2005
15. FESTO Ball Valves QH, QHS Product Catalogue, Festo AG & Co. KG
16. FESTO Plug sockets and push-in connectors Product Catalogue, Festo AG
& Co. KG
17. Prede, G. & D. Scholz, Electropneumatics (Basic Level), Festo Didactic
GmbH & Co., D-73770 Denkendorf 2002
18. FESTO Valve series VOVG Product Catalogue, Festo AG & Co. KG
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KG
20. Delay on Break (Release) TDBL, TDB, TDBH Digi-Set Time Delay Relay,
ABB Inc. Low Voltage Products & Systems Sales Information Catalogue.
21. Minilec Monitoring Relays Product Catalogue, Minilec Corporations


IAS SRFP-2012 Final Report Page 52

Bibliography
i. www.pipeflowcalculations.com
ii. www.engineeringtoolbox.com
iii. www.festo.com
iv. www.wikipedia.com
v. http://www.franklinvalve.com/images/BallValve.gif
vi. http://www.solenoidvalvesuk.com
vii. www.indiamart.com
viii. www.pipeflowcalculations.com
ix. www.engineeringtoolbox.com