Scattering as a mechanism for structured shock waves in metals

The scattering of wave energy during shock propagation through heterogenous media is examined as an alternative to visco-plasticity as the physics und erlying the formation of structured steady shock waves in polycrystalline m etals. A theory based on a quasi-harmonic representation of scattered acous tic energy in solids is pursued and used to develop continuum constitutive relations to describe nonlinear wave propagation in heterogeneous solids. R esulting constitutive models are compared with shock wave profile data for metals. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.