Simulation of Wave in Hypo-Elastic-Plastic Solids Modeled by Eulerian Conservation Laws

Abstract: This paper reports a theoretical and numerical framework to model nonlinear waves in elastic-plastic solids. Formulated in the Eulerian frame, the governing equations employed include the continuity equation, the momentum equation, and an elastic-plastic constitutive relation. The complete governing equations are a set of first-order, fully coupled partial differential equations with source terms. The primary unknowns are velocities and deviatoric stresses. By casting the governing equations into a vector-matrix form, we derive the eigenvalues of the Jacobian matrix to show the wave speeds. The eigenvalues are also used to calculate the Courant number for numerical stability. The model equations are solved using the Space-Time Conservation Element and Solution Element (CESE) method. The approach is validated by comparing our numerical results to an analytical solution for the special case of longitudinal wave motion.