Structure of weak shock waves in 2-D layered material systems

The results of these experiments are interpreted by using asymptotic techniques to analyze propagation of acceleration waves in 2-D layered material systems. The analysis makes use of the Laplace transform and Floquet theory for ODE's with periodic coefficients [Asymptotic solutions for wave propagation in elastic and viscoelastic bilaminates. In: Developments in Mechanics, Proceedings of the 14th Mid-Eastern Mechanics Conference, vol. 26, no. 8, pp. 399-417]. Both wave-front and late-time solutions for step-pulse loading on layered half-space are compared with the experimental observations. The results of the study indicate that the structure of acceleration waves is strongly influenced by impedance mismatch of the layers constituting the laminates, density of interfaces, distance of wave propagation, and the material inelasticity.