3-DIMENSIONAL NUMERICAL-ANALYSIS OF DYNAMIC THERMO-ELASTIC VISCOPLASTIC PROBLEM BY THE METHOD OF CHARACTERISTICS/

This paper is concerned with a numerical technique based on the method of characteristics for three-dimensional dynamic thermo-elastic/visco plastic problems. A constitutive model covering a wide range of strain rates and a wide range of temperatures, proposed by Tanimura, is used . As a numerical example, the three-dimensional stress wave propagatio n in a thermo-elastic/viscoplastic bar of square cross section subject ed to both an impact loading and a thermal shock is presented. The sta bility and convergence of these numerical solutions are examined by ch ecking the error in the total energy of the system.