Unusual behaviour of usual materials in shock waves

Abstract

Exotic results of investigations of inelastic deformation and fracture under shock wave loading are presented and briefly discussed. Temperature effects on the flow stress at high strain rate may differ even in sign from those we observe at low and moderate strain rates. Investigations of the temperature-rate dependence of the yield stress at shock compression demonstrate intense multiplication of dislocations. At the highest strain rates, so-called ideal (ultimate) shear and tensile strength is reached in experiments with picosecond durations of shock loading. Although grain boundaries, in general, reduce resistance to fracture as compared to single crystals, the spall strength of ultra-fine-grained metals usually slightly exceeds that of coarse-grain samples. Failure wave phenomena have been observed in shock-compressed glasses. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.