Shock-tube experiments are typically performed at high temperatures (≥1200K) due to test-time constraints. These test times are usually ~1 ms in duration and the source of this short, test-time constraint is loss of temperature due to heat transfer. At short test times, there is very little appreciable heat transfer between the hot gas and the cold walls of the shock tube and a high test temperature can be maintained. However, some experiments are using lower temperatures (approx. 800K) to achieve ignition and require much longer test times (up to 15 ms) to fully study the chemical kinetics and combustion chemistry of a reaction in a shock-tube experiment. Using mathematical models, analysis was performed studying the effects of temperature, pressure, shock-tube inner diameter, and test-port location at various test times (from 1 - 20 ms) on temperature maintenance. Three models, each more complex than the previous, were used to simulate test conditions in the endwall region behind the reflected shock wave with Ar and N2 as bath gases. Temperature profile, thermal BL thickness, and other parametric results are presented herein. It was observed that higher temperatures and lower pressures contributed to a thicker thermal boundary layer, as did shrinking inner diameter. Thus it was found that a test case such as 800K and 50 atm in a 16.2-cm-diameter shock tube in Argon maintained thermal integrity much better than other cases - pronounced by a thermal boundary layer ≤ 1 mm thick and an average temperature ≥ 799.9 K from 1-20 ms.

The PhD thesis deals with the influence of temperature and strain rate on the mechanical behaviour of the Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy. After verification tests under static loading conditions, the samples were deformed at high strain rates and elevated temperatures, using device for Hopkinson pressure bar test. The result is dependence of stress and strain rate on strain in the temperature range of 20 to 500°C. The deformed shape of specimen from the Taylor anvil test is compared with the results of the simulation in the Ansys – LS Dyna software. The parameters of Johnson-Cook equation were determined from these experiments. Also, the influence of loading conditions on the microstructure was studied. Both optical and scanning electron microscopes were used for the observations. During the research, some adjustments to the experimental devices were made in order to suppress the high-frequency components and noise in the recorded pulses. A functional tensile test adapter for the Hopkinson test was developed; it is registered under No. 2007/008 at the Technology Transfer Office of BUT.