GALCIT Colloquium
There is considerable interest in developing a better understanding of the dynamic behavior of multicomponent heterogeneous systems undergoing extreme loading events. Of particular interest is how small scale phenomena between constituents, such as friction, fracture and melt might affect the response of the system and loads transmitted. In order to better understand these mesoscale processes experiments have been conducted on a variety of granular and foam systems composed of ductile and brittle constituents. In addition, simulations have been conducted so that friction, failure and phase changes can be incorporated and compared to experimental results, with the hope of assessing each phenomenon's relative contribution. This talk summarizes the experimental and computational results, comparing the response from a variety of systems ranging from polymer filled aluminum foams to aluminum powders.