Mechanisms-Based Transitional Viscoplasticity

When metal is subjected to extreme strain rates, the conversation of energy to plastic power, the subsequent heat production and the growth of damages may lag behind the rate of loading. The imbalance alters deformation pathways and activates micro-dynamic excitations. The excitations immobilize dislocation, are responsible for the stress upturn and magnify plasticity-induced heating. The main conclusion of this study is that dynamic strengthening, plasticity-induced heating, grain size strengthening and the processes of microstructural relaxation are inseparable phenomena. Here, the phenomena are discussed in semi-independent sections, and then, are assembled into a unified constitutive model. The model is first tested under simple loading conditions and, later, is validated in a numerical analysis of the plate impact problem, where a copper flyer strikes a copper target with a velocity of 308 m/s. It should be stated that the simulations are performed with the use of the deformable discrete element method, which is designed for monitoring translations and rotations of deformable particles.