Structure of adiabatic shear bands in thermo-viscoplastic materials

The shear band structure in a thermo-viscoplastic material has been analyzed under quasi-static conditions during the final stage of the localization process. A closed form expression of the bandwidth, of the size of the heat-affected zone and of the failure time has been obtained for a homogeneous material. The analysis is based on the assumption that the strain-rate distribution is steady beyond a certain strain level. Predictions have been compared with experimental measurements. (C) Elsevier, Paris.