A numerical methodology for investigating the formation of adiabatic shear bands

In this paper, we present a numerical approach for analyzing thermo-visco-plastic deformation in one dimension. The method, which is accurate to second order, is based on integration along the characteristic lines. It is able to simulate fully localized plastic flow with high resolution and good efficiency. We apply this numerical scheme to the analysis of shear localization, emphasizing the interactions between a single shear band and its surroundings and among the members of a periodic array of shear bands. It is found that a shear band may grow intermittently due to interactions with other bands. The developed method is specifically adequate for analyzing the self-organized multiple adiabatic formation process, which will be discussed in the follow-up paper. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.