The aim of this thesis is to design and build a torsional Kolsky bar apparatus for testing cylindrical specimens in torsion at high strain-rates. In addition to well-established designs, this testing apparatus will include a conical mirror combined with a high speed camera that allows time-resolved optical observation of the shear deformation on the surface of the specimen. The basic design of a Kolsky bar consists of a loading bar, input bar, specimen, and output bar. The experiment is conducted by storing torque in the loading bar and then releasing the torque by breaking the clamp and sending a shear wave pulse through the apparatus into the specimen. This shear wave pulse is monitored by strain gages mounted on the input and output bars. Analysis of the strain waves in the input and output bar is used to extract the shear stress - shear strain profile of the specimen. Several experiments were conducted on 6061-O and 1100-O aluminum with wall thicknesses ranging from 0.3 to 1.5 mm. / text

The purpose of this project was to show the updated procedures and to make additions to the computer program called Tmin designed by E. I. DuPont De Nemours and Company. This program is used as a screening tool for determining the largest of the minimum pipe-wall thicknesses in a piping system. This project involved several additions that will be released in the next version of the Tmin computer program. The first major additions to be implemented are four alternating Stress-to-Number of cycles curves: Aluminum 1100, Aluminum 3003-0, Aluminum 6061-T6, and Nickel 200. In addition, procedures of the ASME for fatigue curve analysis and implementation of fatigue data were investigated. These four stress-to-number of cycles (S-N) fatigue curves were added to Tmin's internal Microsoft Access® database. Next, a 2-D vertical piping span configuration was incorporated. Finally, DuPont required a Microsoft Word® document output of the pipe-wall thickness data including the piping span model information. Other user-friendly additions were included. Since this computer program was to be American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) compliant, a study of the ASME Pressure Vessel and Piping standards and codes was made to determine how pipe-wall thickness calculations were to be processed. The 2-D vertical piping span calculation procedures were investigated. Once the 2-D vertical piping span analysis was complete, the largest pipe-wall thickness value calculated were passed to a Microsoft Word® document. The last implementation is the inclusion of help files. Help file button additions in all input boxes allowed for the user to know exactly what was needed before a data entry was made. / Master of Science