An analysis of the plane-strain compression of a three-layer strip

Summary  The problem considered here is that of the plane-strain compression of a long symmetric strip of a three-layered material between rigid, parallel, rough plates. Two combinations of layers are examined: (a) a viscoplastic material placed between two layers of a rigid/perfectly plastic material, and (b) a rigid/perfectly plastic material placed between two layers of a viscoplastic material. Closed-form solutions are presented for each combination, and qualitative differences between these solutions and solutions obtained for homogeneous materials are discussed. A possible effect of asymptotic behaviour of the solution in the vicinity of maximum-friction surfaces on the general structure of the solution is mentioned. Received 24 July 2000; accepted for publication 6 February 2001