Numerical simulation of adiabatic shear localization in truncated-conic specimens of tungsten heavy alloys under impact loading

The deformation behavior and shear localization in truncated-conic specimens of tungsten heavy alloys under impact loading are simulated by the finite element code ABAQUS. A 2-D axis-symmetric adiabatic model is employed in the simulation and the Johnson-Cook model is used to describe the thermo-viscoplastic response of the specimen material. In order to obtain the specimen deformation in different scales, two meshes are used. First, a coarse mesh is used to obtain a global picture of the deformation. Then, a refined mesh (in a local region, the minimum mesh size is 10 μm) is used to analyze the initiation and propagation of the adiabatic shear band (ASB). The location and the propagation of ASB predicted by present FEM simulation show good agreement with the experimental results. The calculation results show that the stress condition has significant influence on the initiation and propagation of adiabatic shear band.