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  • High-Rate Characterization and Modeling of a Hyperelastic Block Copolymer Subjected to Ballistic Impact

    Abstract: A polystyrene-polyisobutylene-polystyrene star-block copolymer (PS-PIB-PS) is a thermoplastic elastomer with visco hyperelastic characteristics that displays a high level of toughness and performs well in shock attenuating applications. The research goal is to investigate experimentally and numerically the capacity of PS-PIB-PS to dissipate kinetic energy and examine its deformation and failure modes under impact by spherical steel projectiles at speed ranges of 200–1,700 m/s. First, PS-PIB-PS is characterized using a Split-Hopkinson Pressure Bar to measure high strain rate response and calibrate a hyperelastic material model. Second, ballistics tests are conducted on 12 in. × 12 in. PS-PIB-PS targets with various thicknesses to determine the ballistic limit and residual velocity (Vr) versus impact velocity (Vi) relationship. Finally, ALE3D is used to model the ballistic response and capture the extreme deformation observed during testing. During ballistic impact tests, significant deformation occurred on the backside of polymer targets, followed by perforation of the polymer, culminating with retraction and recovery of the polymer in a self-healing manner. Numerical simulations captured the deformation behavior during impact and predicted the Vr versus Vi response with high accuracy. This research provides a method of modeling hyperelastic materials subjected to ballistic impact and provides a better understanding of energy dissipation of these materials.

  • Corps of Engineers Monitors Impact of Hurricane Helene on Cumberland River Basin

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District is monitoring expected heavy rainfall as the the remnants of Hurricane Helene are forecasted to move through the Cumberland River Basin beginning Friday, 27 Sept. and lasting through the weekend.

  • USACE to host open house for Beltzville Lake Master Plan revision

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will host an open house on October 10, 2024, to kick off a process to revise the 1971 Beltzville Lake Master Plan. The open house will be held from 4-6 p.m. at the Towamensing Township Volunteer Fire Company, 105 Firehouse Road, Palmerton, PA 18071.

  • New Lock at the Soo Phase 2 complete

    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District’s New Lock at the Soo project in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, substantially completed Phase 2 (Upstream Approach Walls) contract on September 17. “Phase 2 work focused on rehabilitating the upstream approach walls to guide vessels into the New Lock and will allow the vessels to moor on the wall,” New Lock at the Soo Project Engineer Ryan Berkompas said. “The old approach walls in the northern channel were the same age as the Sabin and Davis Locks, over 100 years old.” The Corps of Engineers awarded the $117 million contract in September 2020 to Kokosing-Alberici, of Westerville, Ohio.

  • Fort Randall trail dedication honors beloved employee

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District’s Fort Randall Project held a ribbon-cutting ceremony, Sept. 20, 2024, in Pickstown, South Dakota for a newly constructed trail system. The trail system, named the Lisa M. Durham Memorial Trail, honors Lisa Durham, a longtime Fort Randall employee who passed away in 2022 following her battle with cancer.

  • After a 2020 inspection, Tuttle Creek Dam dewaters outlet channel to undergo massive repairs that reduces risk of spillway erosion and downstream flooding

    Tucked alongside the native tallgrasses of the Konza Prairie within the undulating Flint Hills of Riley and Pottawattamie counties in northeast Kansas, is the Tuttle Creek Dam and Lake. This engineering marvel of the midwestern United States, is a 7,500-foot-long earth and rockfill dam that chokes off the Big Blue River, creating the second largest reservoir in Kansas with a total capacity of over 2.1 million acre-feet of water.

  • Contract awarded for option work within levee contract 103 of the West Shore Lake Pontchartrain project

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, recently exercised option work 2 within contract 103 of the West Shore Lake Pontchartrain (WSLP) Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction project. The option work is to include construction of pre-load areas at Frenier Road.

  • Corps of Engineers to install temporary radar system at Manistique Harbor

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District is installing an Integrated Radar Monitoring System (IRaMS) at Manistique Harbor, Michigan to collect fall wave data during the week of Oct. 7. The system will remain along the shoreline for several months to observe the interaction between waves and the harbor structures during storm events and validate numerical wave model simulations. Data collection and modeling will help with designing future repairs to the structures at Manistique. 

  • Small Business Industry Day set for Oct. 23

    Presentation agenda consists of an overview of Huntsville Center’s scope of work, its planned acquisition strategy approach and small business tips and best practices.

  • District celebrates island restoration completion

    ST. LOUIS – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District, celebrated the completion of three Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program, or NESP, projects on the Illinois River yesterday, Sept. 24.