ON STRAIN LOCALIZATION ANALYSIS OF ELASTOPLASTIC MATERIALS AT FINITE STRAINS

The problem of strain localization into planar bands of rate-independent elastoplastic solids with smooth yield surface and plastic potential is analyzed reconsidering the work of Rice and Rudnicki in 1980. It is shown that strain localization with elastic unloading on one side of the band first becomes possible either at localization in the comparison solid corresponding to the loading branch of the constitutive equation or at the snap-back threshold. The elastic unloading is shown to start from the condition of neutral loading, occurring in fact at the onset of localization. The case of localization with elastic unloading into the band and plastic loading outside that was not considered by Rice and Rudnicki is taken into account.