Stress Waves in Nonelastic Solids

Abstract

The propagation of stress waves in anelastic solids has received considerable attention in recent years, both from theoreticians and experimentalists. Three distinct types of anelastic waves have been considered, namely, viscoelastic waves, plastic waves, and shock waves. In many practical situations the stress waves cannot be described in so simple a manner; for example, both viscoelastic and plastic effects often occur simultaneously. It is nevertheless convenient from a theoretical standpoint to discuss the three types separately, and, in general, experiments can be designed in which the propagation is sensibly that of a single idealized type.