NONLINEAR EFFECTS IN DYNAMIC LOADING OF A MATERIAL WITH DEFECT ZONES

An analysis is made of some characteristic features of the interaction between solitary pulses (soliton-like waves) generated under high-vel ocity loading and structural defects in an Al crystallite. Calculation s are made using the molecular dynamics method. It is shown that in ma terials undergoing shear loading and those undergoing compression diff erent types of solitary pulses are formed which interact differently w ith regions containing structural defects. The waves formed under comp ression have a higher propagation velocity in the material, and their profile recovers fairly rapidly after propagating through defect zones . These phenomena are of interest for developing methods of nondestruc tive testing. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S1063-7850(98)0 0802-7].