Mechanistic Prediction of Adiabatic Shear Bands in 2024-T351 Aluminium

In some materials such as grade 2024-T351 aluminium, high speed deformation can result in a phenomenon known as adiabatic shear bands. In events such as ballistic impact, adiabatic shear bands can be a very low energy precursor to catastrophic material failure. This work has used multiple experimental techniques to generate adiabatic shear bands under a range of different initial conditions and presented a method to numerically model the phenomenon using finite element analysis. From this work, improvements can be made in the design or material selection for a range of different protective structures to minimise the risk of failure.