The effects of plastic deformation on stress wave propagation in multi-layer materials

The behavior of a multi-layer material at high strain rate and the effect of plastic deformation on stress wave propagation were investigated by a combination of experimental and numerical techniques. Plastic deformation effects were studied in multi-layer materials consisting of ceramic, copper and aluminum subjected to large strains under high strain rate loading. First, stress wave propagation behavior for the monolithic metals was studied, and then extended to multilayer combinations of these metals with each other and with a ceramic layer. The axial stress distributions were found to be non-uniform in the elastic deformation range of the specimen. The degree of non-uniformity was much more pronounced in the multi-layer samples consisting of different materials. The presence of a ceramic layer increased the magnitudes of stress gradients at the interfaces. It was also found that a major effect of plastic deformation is a tendency to produce a more homogeneous stress distribution within the components. The implications of these observations for practical systems are discussed.