Numerical Study of Impact Penetration Shearing Employing Finite Strain Viscoplasticity Model Incorporating Adiabatic Shear Banding

This work brings forward a twofold contribution relevant to the adiabatic shear banding (ASB) process as a part of dynamic plasticity of high-strength metallic materials. The first contribution is a reassessment of a three-dimensional finite deformation model starting from a specific scale postulate and devoted to cover a wide range of dissipative phenomena, including ASB-related material instabilities (strong softening prefailure stage). The model, particularly destined to deal with impacted structures was first detailed by (Longère et al. 2003, “Modelling Adiabatic Shear Banding Via Damage Mechanics Approach,” Arch. Mech., 55, pp. 3–38; 2005, “Adiabatic Shear Banding Induced Degradation in a Thermo-Elastic/Viscoplastic Material Under Dynamic Loading,” Int. J. Impact Eng., 32, pp. 285–320). The second novel contribution concerns numerical solution of a genuine ballistic penetration problem employing the above model for a target plate material. The ASB trajectories are shown to follow a multistage history and complex distribution pattern leading finally to plugging failure mechanism. The corresponding analysis and related parametric study are intended to put to the test the pertinency of the model as an advanced predictive tool for complex shock related problems.