Pressure bar apparatus named an ASME landmark

SAN ANTONIO — A mechanical system used at Southwest Research Institute to gauge the performance of various materials under force and impact, was cited for historical significance at a ceremony held here on Dec. 1.

ASME designated the Split-Hopkinson Pressure Bar Apparatus a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark, which is a status given to mechanical systems and devices that contribute to the progress of mechanical engineering technology.

The Split-Hopkinson Pressure Bar Apparatus has been used to test the dynamic strength in materials ranging from metal and steel to today's advanced polymers and ceramics. Among its many military and commercial applications during the last 46 years, the instrument was used to evaluate the capability of the pressurized hulls of the U.S. Space Station to withstand the impact of meteorites and other flying orbital debris.

Modified through the years to incorporate new and improved technology, the Split-Hopkinson Pressure Bar Apparatus features compressed gas pressure that launches the test striker, as well as electronic circuitry for accurate recording.

The Split-Hopkinson Pressure Bar Apparatus "today is the standard technique used worldwide for characterizing materials at high strain rates," according to a plaque that ASME presented to Southwest Research Institute at the Dec. 1 ceremony, which took place at the institute's headquarters in San Antonio.

To date, ASME has named 241 engineering landmarks, heritage collections, or heritage sites, including the Saturn V rocket, cable car system in San Francisco, and the Ford Model T automobile.

To find out more about the ASME Landmarks Program, visit www.asme.org/Communities/History/Landmarks.

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