Numerical study of rate-dependent strength behavior under ramp and shock wave loading

The main objective of the current study was to gain a detailed understanding on the rate-dependent strength behavior under ramp and shock wave loading. A forward, numerical-simulation-based cause and effect analysis was used to address the research objective. The apparent strength associated with shock and ramp wave loadings with different risetimes and shapes was investigated. It was shown that intrinsic material strength could vary with pressure, temperature, and deformation history, but the apparent strength, which was larger than the intrinsic strength, was a result of the interaction between the rate sensitivity of the strength and the rate of the external loading. The degree of interaction led to different levels of mechanical and thermal dissipations and their partition, which was manifested by different temperature, stress, and deformation histories.